As a businessman, however, Leonard is more wary of the big screen's future. Because Imax comes from an almost philanthropic place, and I love that it does, it provides a very special challenge to the filmmaker. While few will discuss the exact figures, it is certainly no secret that Imax theatres have kept a far greater share of boxoffice returns than the traditional 50-50 split. Sometimes as little as 10 percent has been returned to the distributor. Still, finding ways of making it viable will be worth it just to work in the medium.
Large format is like making movies at the turn of the century.
Everything is a technical and creative challenge. It pushes you into new creative heights. But, at the same time, you have to reinvent the business area. There is no boilerplate. Fortunately I have a partner, Michael Lewis, who is as committed to finding new ways to make the numbers work.