Imax reported net income of $1.8-million, or 3 cents a share, compared with $13.3-million, or 20 cents, a year ago.
A lack of blockbuster films hit Imax Corp.'s box office in the first quarter, and it posted a loss Thursday, but it said it was encouraged by solid demand for its big-screen movie theatres.
The Toronto-based company said that during the first quarter it installed 43 of its oversized-screen theatres. It also signed new deals for 101 theatres, and raised its forecast for installations for the full year.
"It was a tale of two quarters," Imax CEO Richard Gelfond said. "The basics of Imax for a long-term shareholder have dramatically improved. If you're looking at the short run, the quarter was a disappointing box office quarter," he said.
The stock hit its highest price in more than a decade on Thursday morning, up more than 5 per cent.
"It's a great company with a remarkable story but today's share price baffles me a little bit," said Canaccord Genuity analyst Aravinda Galappatthige, noting both the lacklustre box office and installation outlook were known ahead of the results.
The company reported a first-quarter loss of $1-million, or 2 cents a share, its first loss after seven quarters of gains. It had a profit of $26.5-million, or 42 cents a share, a year earlier on the back of the release of Avatar on its screens.
Revenue fell to $45.2-million from $72.8-million in the year-before quarter.
Excluding one-time items and stock-based compensation, earnings fell to $2.5-million, or 4 cents a share, from $35.3-million, or 53 cents a share, a year earlier.
That compared to an average expectation among 16 analysts polled by Reuters for earnings of 11 cents a share on revenue of $50.5-million.
Analysts seemed unfazed by the quarterly results as Imax prepares for the peak summer blockbuster season, starting on Friday with street car-racing film Fast Five opening in North America and fantasy epic Thor opening internationally.
Imax takes an oversized portion of ticket sales for blockbuster films such as Avatar. Its screenings of Disney's Tron: Legacy generated almost a quarter of the science-fiction film's U.S. box office receipts with only 2 per cent of its screenings, Imax said last quarter.
"With difficult comps in the rearview mirror, we look forward to a monster summer slate, which kicks off this weekend with Fast Five," Piper Jaffray analyst James Marsh wrote in a note to clients.
Imax's Mr. Glefond said he expects years of growth in emerging markets such as China, where Imax balances Hollywood and local content, and Russia, where 3D is particularly popular.
"There's a lot of runway for us to grow," he said. In North America the company is moving into smaller cities, he added.
Imax signed a 75-theatre revenue sharing deal with Wanda Cinema Line, China's largest cinema operator, in late March.
Imax said it now intends to install between 115 and 125 theatres in 2011, up from earlier plans for more than 100 new theatres.
The company also said it would expand its senior secured credit facility to up to $110-million, replacing its previous $75-million facility on improved terms.