Despite 70% of Shareholders Voting "FOR", Proposed Transaction Does Not Meet the Necessary Threshold for Approval
NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) today confirmed that the Company's proposal to acquire IMAX China's outstanding 96.3 million shares will not proceed following a vote by IMAX China shareholders.
At the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of IMAX China shareholders held October 9 EST/October 10 HKT, 70% of the shares voted were in favor of the proposed transaction; however, votes against exceeded the 10% threshold required by Hong Kong law to defeat a privatization transaction. In total, approximately 61% of the total disinterested shares of IMAX China common stock were voted.
"Even though our proposal received the vast majority of votes cast, and support from both leading independent proxy advisory firms, the vote did not achieve the threshold needed for approval," said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. "While disappointing, the vote demonstrates that shareholders believe, as we do, that the future of IMAX China is bright. We are committed to our business in China and our team will continue to create new growth opportunities for the IMAX(R) brand and technology in this vital market for blockbuster entertainment. Furthermore, we will explore opportunities to deploy the incremental capital intended for this transaction through alternate means of creating shareholder value, such as share repurchases of IMAX Corporation stock."
IMAX China (HKSE: 1970.HK) is a Hong Kong-listed subsidiary established by IMAX Corporation to oversee its business in Greater China.