IMAX’S FIRST FITNESS CONCEPT LOCATION, IN DUMBO, HAS PROVED A WINNING CONCEPT FOR LOCAL MILLENNIALS

BY EVAN MONROE

Last year was a corker for the Canada-based IMAX Corporation. It installed 166 new theatres (up 22% versus the prior year), bringing its network count to 1,215 screens in 75 countries. Last April, the company also launched IMAXShift, a group cycling concept built around the oversized theater and audio components of the IMAX Experience. The program recruits instructors to immerse participants—from beginners to serious athletes—in such an overwhelming bath of endorphin-boosting stimulation that they, ideally, focus not on pain, but results. The concept’s test studio is located right here in Dumbo, and has become a winning concept with local millennials, particularly.

 

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The studio accommodates up to 50 riders, features IMAX’s patented 40-foot by 24-foot screen geometry, and harnesses the talents of Jesse Alexander and Wilhelmina model Bree Branker, among other instructors, to ensure that classes are a “unique content journey that augments the fitness regimen and maximizes the workout experience,” as the company put it. Riders go on virtual tours of locales as diverse as the solar system, the deep woods of the Pacific Northwest, and coasts of Hawaii, while bike consoles track speed, resistance, and power. After the ride, users can monitor progress in an online account.

“As we examined potential areas in which to extend, one of the opportunities we identified was the fitness space—where there is a clear demand for more engaging group experiences,” said Robert D. Lister, Chief Business Development Officer for IMAX Corp. “By incorporating key elements of our technology and theater design, we believe we have the potential to set the stage for a new movement…and offer participants a workout unlike anything they’ve experienced before.”

Classes are $34, though packages can reduce the price to $25.

INVESTORS SPREAD

Bree Banker

IMAX Shift
127 Plymouth Street / 718.858.1200
imaxshift.com