Cosmic Picture

What Cosmic Picture does

Cosmic Picture is a London-based private production and distribution company founded in 2004 by Taran Davies, specializing in IMAX 3D and giant screen documentary filmmaking. The company produces original documentary films and distributes them, alongside the National Geographic giant screen film library (held under exclusive license since 2018), to a global network of museums, science centers, aquariums, planetariums, and IMAX/giant screen theaters. Its portfolio comprises 27 documentary titles spanning wildlife conservation, space exploration, natural phenomena, history, and science topics, with multiple formats (2D, 3D, full dome) tailored to different venue types.

The technical core is large-format cinematography using highest-resolution cameras, projected onto the world's largest screens at influential educational institutions to create immersive educational experiences. Notable productions include Jerusalem and Journey to Mecca (both inducted into the IMAX Hall of Fame), Superpower Dogs, Einstein's Incredible Universe, and Wild Rescue. Films are produced and post-produced in-house with a small core team supplemented by project-based creative talent.

The business operates a dual revenue model: one-time licensing of self-produced films and recurring licensing/royalty revenue from distributing both owned content and the National Geographic library to institutional venues. Distribution is conducted through a dedicated direct-sales team targeting hundreds of educational institutions worldwide. The company maintains a lean operational footprint of 1-10 employees and pursues no consumer-facing marketing, relying instead on B2B partnerships, film websites, and industry association presence (including Giant Screen Cinema Association board membership).

Name

Cosmic Picture

Legal name

Cosmic Picture

Website

https://cosmicpicture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cosmic Picture is a London-based production and distribution company that creates and licenses IMAX and giant screen documentary films for museums, science centers, planetariums, and theaters worldwide, holding exclusive rights to the National Geographic giant screen library since 2018.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production and Distribution

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature, Science & Wildlife Documentaries (MPADADAF)

Keywords

• IMAX film production
• Giant screen documentaries
• Large-format cinema
• Educational documentary films
• Film distribution services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Film Production: Cosmic Picture produces IMAX and giant screen documentary films, creating original content for the educational entertainment market. Their productions include award-winning films like Journey to Mecca, Jerusalem, Superpower Dogs, and Einstein's Incredible Universe.
2. Film Distribution: Since 2018, Cosmic Picture Distribution secures exclusive licensing rights to the National Geographic giant screen film library and distributes both their own productions and licensed content to museums, science centers, aquariums, planetariums, and theaters worldwide.
3. Venue Partnerships: Partnerships with educational institutions for exhibition of giant screen content, reaching audiences of all ages through immersive cinematic experiences at museums and science centers globally.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cosmic Picture is an independent film production and distribution company that creates original IMAX and giant-screen documentary films and distributes them, along with its partner library (notably National Geographic's giant-screen catalogue), to museums, science centres, aquariums, planetariums, and theatres around the world. The company produces content covering wildlife, natural history, prehistoric, space, and environmental subjects, often in collaboration with major broadcasters.

Product overview

Cosmic Picture is an award-winning IMAX® and giant screen film production and distribution company founded in 2004. The company creates and distributes documentary films for giant screen theaters, IMAX® 3D venues, full dome planetariums, and other immersive educational venues worldwide. Its product portfolio consists of 27 distinct documentary film titles spanning wildlife conservation, space exploration, natural phenomena, history, and science topics, complemented by Cosmic Picture Distribution—a service launched in 2018 that provides exclusive licensing rights to the National Geographic giant screen film library. Films are produced in multiple formats including 2D, 3D, and full dome for projection onto giant screens in educational institutions such as museums, science centers, aquariums, and planetariums globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Lions A feature-length large-format documentary following the life of sea lions, produced for IMAX and giant-screen theatrical release to institutional and commercial cinemas.
• Walking With Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet A large-format dinosaur documentary co-produced by Cosmic Picture for IMAX/giant-screen exhibition, bringing prehistoric subjects to immersive theatres.
• Arctic: Our Frozen Planet A giant-screen documentary exploring the Arctic environment, produced for IMAX and immersive exhibition in museums and science centres.
• Wild Rescue A large-format documentary on wildlife rescue themes, distributed by Cosmic Picture to museums, science centres, and theatres.
• National Geographic Giant-Screen Library Distribution A B2B distribution service through which Cosmic Picture licenses the National Geographic giant-screen documentary catalogue to institutional exhibitors worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ films distributed with combined box office surpassing $1 Billion
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National GeographiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, Cosmic Picture expanded their mission with the launch of Cosmic Picture Distribution, securing exclusive licensing rights to the National Geographic giant screen film library. This partnership forms the core of their distribution business and provides access to an extensive catalog of educational documentary content.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IMAX Corporation: The dominant player in IMAX/giant screen production, distribution, and theater network globally. Directly comparable as both a content producer and the gatekeeper of the giant screen exhibition channel that Cosmic Picture depends on for distribution.
• D3D Cinema: Specialist giant screen film distribution and digital cinema conversion company. Directly comparable as a competitor in licensing content to museums and science centers worldwide.
• SK Films: Canadian-based distributor of IMAX and giant screen documentary films to cultural institutions globally. Direct competitor for museum and science center licensing deals.
• MacGillivray Freeman Films: The leading independent producer of IMAX and giant screen documentary films (Everest, Dolphins, The Living Sea). Closely comparable as a dedicated giant-screen documentary production company serving the same museum and science center channel.
• nWave Pictures: European-based producer and distributor of giant screen 3D and 4D films. John Wickstrom's prior employer and a direct competitor in giant screen content licensing.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Studios: Production arm of National Geographic (now part of Disney) and Cosmic Picture's exclusive licensing partner. Comparable as a producer of giant screen and premium documentary content, though with a much broader media portfolio.
• Warner Bros. Discovery (Giant Screen Distribution): Through its IMAX/giant screen distribution partnerships and Discovery content library, WBD competes for premium documentary slots at giant screen venues. Comparable as a large incumbent with overlapping nature/science documentary IP.
• BBC Studios (Natural History Unit): Producer of premium nature and science documentaries (Planet Earth, Blue Planet) that increasingly target giant screen formats. Comparable as a high-end nature/science content producer, though with a much broader distribution footprint.
• Disneynature: Disney's nature documentary label producing theatrical and giant screen wildlife content (Earth, Monkey Kingdom). Comparable thematic focus on premium nature/wildlife storytelling but operating within a much larger studio ecosystem.

Others

• Museum of Science, Boston (OMNI Productions): Co-producer of Cosmic Picture's 'Heart of New England' and operator of its own giant screen theater. Represents the in-house content production model used by major museums—an alternative peer approach to the institutional channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CosmicPicture
• Facebookfacebook.com/cosmicpicturepresents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cosmic-picture-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cosmic Picture