ICE THEATERS

What ICE THEATERS does

ICE THEATERS is a private French company, founded circa 2016 and headquartered in La Rochelle (within CGR Cinemas' Périgny offices), that develops and licenses a proprietary premium immersive cinema format branded ICE IMMERSIVE (also marketed as IMERSA). The core technology combines non-reflecting lateral LED panels that fill the viewer's peripheral vision with synchronized color and shape content, a 4K laser projection system based on nine lasers delivering 60,000 lumens, a Dolby Atmos Maximum Configuration audio install (52 sound sources, 53 speakers, 35 amplifiers), an immersive entry corridor, and bespoke 65cm-wide VIP reclining leather seats arranged on curved stadia with 1.2–1.25m row spacing. All peripheral-panel visual content is produced in-house at a dedicated production studio co-located with the La Rochelle headquarters.

Name

ICE THEATERS

Legal name

Ice Theaters

Website

https://icetheaters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Cinema Exhibition

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG), Video/IMAG & LED Wall Production (MPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Premium cinema exhibition
• Immersive cinema technology
• Cinema format licensing
• Large format cinema
• Sensory cinema experience

Headquarters

HQ city

Nouvelle France

HQ country

Mauritius

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. ICE Format Licensing to Cinema Exhibitors: ICE Theaters licenses its premium immersive auditorium format to cinema chain operators worldwide. The company provides a complete services solution including construction & design, software & engineering, IT operations, content delivery, and marketing support (ICE Club). Exhibitors operate the auditoriums and pay licensing fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ICE THEATERS develops and licenses the ICE IMMERSIVE premium large-format cinema concept to cinema exhibitors worldwide. The format combines proprietary lateral LED panels targeting peripheral vision, 4K laser projection, Dolby Atmos audio, and VIP reclining seating in a turnkey auditorium package. ICE Theaters also operates a post-production studio in La Rochelle that produces all visual content for the side panels and provides marketing support to licensee cinemas.

Product overview

ICE THEATERS® is a premium large format cinema experience developed by CGR Cinemas. The offering is built around the ICE IMMERSIVE® (also branded as IMERSA®) sensory technology, which uses non-reflecting LED panels flanking the auditorium to extend the visual experience into the viewer's peripheral vision. The core product combines this immersive technology with 4K laser projection (60,000 lumens, 9P resolution) and Dolby Atmos audio (52 sound sources, 53 speakers, 35 amplifiers), complemented by VIP reclining seats and curved stadium seating. The ICE Club provides dedicated marketing support for each release. The format operates across multiple territories including France, USA, Middle East, Spain, Estonia, and India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICE IMMERSIVE: The proprietary immersive sensory technology featuring LED side panels that fill the moviegoer's peripheral vision with colors complementing the main screen.

Products and services

• ICE THEATERS Premium Auditorium Format
• ICE IMMERSIVE / IMERSA Sensory Technology
• ICE Club Marketing Support Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 27 global Hollywood blockbusters featured in ICE IMMERSIVE in 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Yash Raj FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2023Yash Raj Films, India's leading film production studio, partnered with ICE Theaters to release Pathaan as the first Indian film in ICE IMMERSIVE format. This milestone marked ICE Theaters' entry into Bollywood post-production and the expansion of the format to Indian cinema content, complementing the Hollywood content library.
• PVR CinemascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 December 2022India's largest cinema exhibitor, PVR Cinemas, partnered with CGR Cinemas to launch ICE THEATERS in India and Asia Pacific. First auditoriums opened at PVR Promenade Mall (Vasant Kunj, New Delhi) and PVR Ambience Mall (Gurugram) in December 2022, with plans to expand to Mumbai and Bengaluru. PVR also plans to present Bollywood films in ICE IMMERSIVE format, targeting 20 Indian titles per year.
• Cinémovida MégacastilletminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 June 2022Cinémovida Mégacastillet, a cinema operator in Perpignan, France, partnered with ICE Theaters for the opening of a premium ICE auditorium in Fall 2022. The agreement was announced at CineEurope Barcelona alongside the PVR deal.
• Apollo CinemamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2022Apollo Cinema, the Baltic region's largest exhibitor operating 81 screens over 16 locations in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, partnered with ICE Theaters for the first immersive premium auditorium in the region. Located at Apollo Cinema Solaris in Tallinn, Estonia, opening mid-August 2022.
• OCINEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2021OCINE, Spain's third largest cinema exhibitor, partnered with ICE Theaters for two premium auditoriums. First opened at OCINE Granollers (Barcelona area) in April 2022, with second auditorium to follow. Deal struck autumn 2021. OCINE was attracted by the unique peripheral vision experience and business model fit. OCINE operates 204 screens across Spain and 22 screens in France.
• Regal / AEGmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 December 2019Partnership with AEG for the first ICE THEATERS in the United States at Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center in downtown Los Angeles. Opened mid-December 2019. A demonstration event was held on December 3, 2019 with US studios. This marked ICE Theaters' first international expansion outside France.
• VOX Cinemas (Majid Al Futtaim)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2019Strategic partnership between CGR Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim (parent of VOX Cinemas) to deploy ICE THEATERS across Middle East. First ICE auditorium opened at VOX Cinemas Riyadh Park. Second location opened at Town Square Jeddah. VOX Cinemas is the first international operator to roll out the ICE premium format in the region.
• CGR CinemascoreOthersICE Theaters is a CGR Cinemas company. CGR Cinemas is France's second largest cinema exhibitor with 71 cinemas, 700+ screens, and 26+ million annual moviegoers. CGR developed and owns the ICE THEATERS format and provides the operational backbone (engineering, IT, content delivery across 70+ cinemas since 2007).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dolby Cinema: Dolby Cinema is a premium cinema format combining Dolby Vision projection and Dolby Atmos immersive audio, licensed to major exhibitors (AMC, Cineworld). It competes head-to-head with ICE IMMERSIVE for premium auditoriums and shares the same B2B licensing + Hollywood-studio-content model.
• IMAX Corporation: IMAX is the global leader in premium large-format cinema licensing, providing proprietary projection, audio, and screen technology licensed to exhibitors worldwide. Like ICE Theaters, IMAX monetizes via exhibitor licensing, secures studio content pipelines, and offers a differentiated premium experience; ICE is essentially a niche competitor in the same category.
• CJ CGV (4DX / ScreenX): CJ CGV's 4DX (motion seats + environmental effects) and ScreenX (multi-projection wrapping screens) are immersive cinema formats licensed to global exhibitors. They directly compete with ICE IMMERSIVE's value proposition of going beyond the standard flat screen to create differentiated, premium-priced theatrical experiences.
• PVR INOX: PVR INOX (the merged entity of PVR and INOX) is India's largest cinema exhibitor and ICE's anchor India partner. It is a directly comparable strategic exhibitor peer in terms of premium-format deployment strategy and represents ICE's most material current licensing relationship.

Emerging players

• D-BOX Technologies: D-BOX provides motion-code-enhanced recliner seats for cinemas and home use, licensed to exhibitors such as AMC and Cineworld. It overlaps with ICE's premium-seat + sensory-differentiation playbook but on a narrower, hardware-focused layer of the immersive cinema stack.
• Cinépolis: Cinépolis is a major Latin American and US cinema chain known for its VIP/luxury auditorium concept. It operates an in-house premium-format tier that overlaps ICE's value proposition of higher-priced, differentiated auditoriums and represents a potential licensing target.

Regional players

• Vue International: Vue International is a leading European cinema exhibitor with strong premium-format ambitions. As a major UK/European chain, Vue is a logical next-phase licensing partner for ICE's European rollout and shares the same exhibitor business model as PVR, VOX, and OCINE.

Broad incumbents

• Cinemark Holdings (XD / PLF): Cinemark is a major US/global cinema exhibitor that operates its own premium large format (XD) as well as IMAX auditoriums. As an exhibitor customer of premium-format licensors, Cinemark is both a potential ICE partner and a competitor via its in-house PLF offering.
• Cineworld / Regal: Cineworld (parent of Regal, owner of the single US ICE site at L.A. LIVE) is a major global exhibitor. It illustrates both the upside (already an ICE partner) and the risk (premium-format strategy could shift between ICE, IMAX, and 4DX).
• AMC Theatres (Dolby Cinema / IMAX partner): AMC is the world's largest cinema exhibitor and the anchor partner for Dolby Cinema at scale. It represents the upper bound of what a multi-territory ICE partner could look like and is the natural next-tier rollout target ICE has yet to secure in the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ice-theaters

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ICE THEATERS