IMAX ticket sales exceeded $1 billion in 2018, partly fueled by the success of Marvel films.

IMAX theaters managed to cross $1 billion at the box office in 2018 for the first time. The company has existed for 50 years, but has never approached the success of this past year. Hollywood blockbusters proved crucial to the success, but 2018 was also a strong year for local-language films around the world as well, particularly in China. The smaller fare raked in over $100 million globally.

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According to Deadline, the two most successful films of the year in IMAX theaters were both entries from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Infinity War was the highest-grossing film of the year for the theater chain, followed by Black Panther. Meanwhile, DC's Aquaman is expected to become the fourth highest-grossing IMAX film of the year. Venom and Ant-Man and the Wasp also occupied spots in the top ten, meaning half of the most successful films for the company in 2018 were comic book adaptations.

IMAX Corporation CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement that "Blockbuster content experienced in the best premium environment is bigger than ever before... As studios and streaming companies keep focusing their slates on more blockbuster films, particularly in 2019, we see a strong opportunity to continue as a destination of choice for consumers.”

(via Deadline)