MUMBAI: Since Paramount‘s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen debuted last Wednesday, stock in companies that benefit from hefty traffic at movie theaters has outpaced broader markets by a crushing margin.
The three big publicly traded U.S. theatre chains — Carmike, Regal and Cinemark — have seen their shares climb 10%, 7% and 6%, respectively, since Wednesday, while the Dow Jones index is up 2.5% during the same frame. Additionally, shares of in-theater advertising company National CineMedia have climbed 9%.
Shares of Paramount parent Viacom have risen 6% since Transformers opened, closing 4% higher Monday at $24.71. Viacom was the largest gainer Monday among media conglomerates.
The biggest beneficiary of the success of Transformers – in terms of rising stock, at least — might be Imax, shares of which have rocketed 19% since Wednesday.
That is ironic considering that some Imax shareholders seemed to be selling off the stock this month upon learning the company was obligated to show Transformers through most of July, meaning it would cut into the time Imax could show Warner Bros.‘ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
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