• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechVirtual Reality

IMAX To Spend Millions To Spread Virtual Reality

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2016, 8:23 PM ET
179684311
France, Paris, La Defense, Dome Imax, Grande ArcheTibor Bognar/Getty Images

IMAX is prepared to spend big money to popularize virtual reality.

The big-screen cinema company said Thursday that it and several partner companies created a $50 million investment fund focused on virtual reality media projects like films and video games.

Other companies investing in the fund include electronics hardware maker Acer, entertainment and sports firm Creative Artists Agency, media investment fund China Media Capital, British advertising firm WPP, and China entertainment company Enlight Media.

The goal is to fund the creation of compelling virtual reality content amid a relative lack of must-see or must-play VR media currently available. IMAX (IMAX) did not say what projects it intends to invest in, but said that it would seek video game publishers and projects “with its Hollywood studio and filmmaker partners.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

IMAX said the new fund is related to the company’s yet-to-open virtual reality entertainment hubs it plans to create at movie theaters and shopping malls in the U.S., the United Kingdom, China, the Middle East, and other parts around the world.

“With VR in its ascendancy, this initiative is a key step in ensuring that more high-quality content makes its way to various VR platforms, including IMAX VR centres,” IMAX chief business development officer Robert D. Lister said in a statement.

Virtual reality technology is seen by analysts and technology companies like Facebook (FB) (with its Oculus Rift VR headset) and Google (GOOG) (with its Daydream View VR headset) as future big business. But it’s still the early days when it comes to consumer adoption.

One of the ways companies like Facebook and IMAX want to make VR more mainstream is to fund VR media projects so that there’s more captivating content that could potentially lure more users.

For more about virtual reality, watch:

In October, Facebook said it would give $250 million to companies and coders developing VR software, which follows a previous $250 million pledge.

Likewise, smartphone maker HTC, which sells its competing HTC Vive VR headset, said in April that it would invest $100 million in a similar virtual reality fund.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. is '1,000% going to go bankrupt' unless AI and robotics save the economy from crushing debt
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Russian officials are warning Putin that a financial crisis could arrive this summer, report says, while his war on Ukraine becomes too big to fail
By Jason MaFebruary 8, 2026
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
America marks its 250th birthday with a fading dream—the first time that younger generations will make less than their parents
By Mark Robert Rank and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z Patriots quarterback Drake Maye still drives a 2015 pickup truck even after it broke down on the highway—despite his $37 million contract
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
We studied 70 countries' economic data for the last 60 years and something big about market crashes changed 25 years ago
By Josh Ederington, Jenny Minier and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
NBA star Metta World Peace says Kobe Bryant taught him that no matter how hard you work, someone else is working harder
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

ceo
CommentaryLeadership
The next 18 months of the agentic era will feel like a slow-motion stress test for CEOs. Most will make the same critical mistake
By Amy Eliza WongFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
Side-by-side photos of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIOpenAI
OpenAI vs. Anthropic Super Bowl ad clash signals we’ve entered AI’s trash talk era—and the race to own AI agents is only getting hotter
By Sharon GoldmanFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
A girl carrying a bag of tennis balls and a tennis racket gets into the backseat of a car.
North AmericaLyft
Lyft introduces feature to help get teenagers out of the house: ‘The problems of 2026 are social isolation and too much screen time’
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 9, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Meta expands its already massive Louisiana data center project
By Allie GarfinkleFebruary 9, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic isn’t done spooking SaaS investors
By Alexei OreskovicFebruary 9, 2026
4 hours ago
InvestingVenture Capital
NFL legend Joe Montana lived around top VC execs as a 49er, then leveraged those ties to launch his second career as an investor
By Jason MaFebruary 8, 2026
19 hours ago