InsideJapan News Network

Supersized-screen cinema firm Imax is set to expand its reach further in Japan during the next two years, with five new giant 3D screens to be set up in the country.

According to Richard Gelfond, chief executive of the Canada-based entertainment technology company, take-up of Imax films in Japan has been "really strong".

He said: "It's probably the strongest start that we've had in any territory in our history."

The new plan will see a total of 12 Imax screens in Japan by June 2012 - up from four currently.

Mr Gelfond said that three of the new cinemas will be constructed in the Tokyo metropolitan area, while a further two will be located in western Japan.

According to Bloomberg, Imax technology was first debuted at the World Expo in Osaka in 1970 and demand for blockbusters such as James Cameron's Avatar - which grossed millions of dollars in Japan alone - and Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland helped the cinema firm turn its first annual profit in four years.

Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After and Prince of Persia are among the films set to be shown on Imax screens later this year.

Written by Mark Smith