Richard Gelfond: The Man Who Turned IMAX Into a Billion-Dollar Business

Any fairly skilled screenwriter could turn the life of IMAX's chief executive into a film about the hackneyed American dream. The story of Richard Gelfond (New York, 1955) is the epitome of the self-made businessman, one of those stories that can woo Hollywood and Wall Street equally. He started out cleaning shoes as a child and now he rubs shoulders with the director and actors of the moment.

The box office success of The Odyssey, by Christopher Nolan, filmed entirely with IMAX movie cameras, has boosted the company's revenues, which he has been leading for 30 years, and has put it back on everyone's lips at a time when its sale is being explored. Continue reading