A significant portion of the GBO generated by the Company's exhibitor customers and its revenues are generated by customers located outside the United States and Canada. Approximately 64%, 62%, and 70% of the Company's revenues were derived outside of the United States and Canada in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, approximately 78% of IMAX Systems in backlog are scheduled to be installed in international markets. The Company's network spanned 90 different countries as of December 31, 2023, and the Company expects its international operations to continue to account for an increasingly significant portion of its future revenues. There are a number of risks associated with operating in international markets that could negatively affect the Company's operations, sales and future growth prospects. These risks include:
- new restrictions on access to markets, both for IMAX Systems and films;- unusual or burdensome foreign laws or regulatory requirements or unexpected changes to those laws or requirements, including censorship of content that may restrict what films the Company's network can present;- fluctuations in the value of various foreign currencies versus the U.S. Dollar and potential currency devaluations;- new tariffs, trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements, trade embargoes, sanctions, and other trade barriers;- difficulties in obtaining competitively priced key commodities, raw materials, and component parts from various international sources that are needed to manufacture quality products on a timely basis;- imposition of foreign exchange controls in foreign jurisdictions;- dependence on foreign distributors and their sales channels;- reliance on local partners, including in connection with joint revenue sharing arrangements;- difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;- inability to complete installations of IMAX Systems, including as a result of material disruptions or delays in the Company's supply chains, or collect full payment on installations thereof;- local business practices that can present challenges to compliance with applicable anti-corruption and bribery laws;- difficulties in establishing market-appropriate pricing;- less accurate and/or less reliable box office reporting;- adverse changes in foreign government monetary and/or tax policies, and/or difficulties in repatriating cash from foreign jurisdictions (including with respect to China, where approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange is required);- poor recognition of intellectual property rights;- difficulties in enforcing contractual rights;- economic conditions in foreign markets, including inflation;- public health concerns, including pandemics or epidemics, and regulations in response thereto, which could adversely affect the Company's and its customers' operations;- requirements to provide performance bonds and letters of credit to international customers to secure system component deliveries;- harm to the IMAX brand from operating in countries with records of controversial government action, including human rights abuses; and - political, economic and social instability, which could result in adverse consequences for the Company's interests in different regions of the world.
Additionally, global geopolitical tensions, such as the Russia and Ukraine and Israel-Hamas Wars, and actions that governments take in response may adversely impact the Company's ability to operate in such regions and/or result in global or regional economic downturns. For example, in response to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Canada, the United States, and other countries in which the Company operates have imposed broad sanctions and other restrictive actions against governmental and other entities in Russia and Belarus, which in turn have and may continue to have an adverse impact on the Company's business and results of operations in affected regions. In addition, in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and resulting sanctions, major movie studios suspended the theatrical release of films in Russia and Belarus and financial institutions halted transactions with Russian entities. The Company has notified its exhibitor clients in Russia and Belarus that such sanctions and actions constitute a force majeure event under their system agreements, resulting in the suspension of the Company's obligations thereunder. Given the uncertainty as to the scope, intensity, duration and outcome of geopolitical conflicts, it is difficult to predict the full extent of the adverse impact of geopolitical conflicts on the Company's business and results of operations. Additionally, given the global nature of the Company's operations, any protracted conflict or the broader macroeconomic impact of geopolitical conflicts and sanctions imposed in response thereto, could have an adverse impact on the Company's business, results of operations, financial condition, and future performance (the Company has 20 systems in its backlog from Russia, the CIS and Ukraine, and none from Israel) and may also magnify the impact of other risks described herein, including the risk of cybersecurity attacks, which may impact information technology systems unrelated to the conflict, or jeopardize critical infrastructure in jurisdictions where the Company operates.
In addition, changes in United States or Canadian foreign policy can present additional risks or uncertainties as the Company continues to expand its international operations. Opening and operating theaters in markets that have experienced geopolitical or sociopolitical unrest or controversy, including through partnerships with local entities, exposes the Company to the risks listed above, as well as additional risks of operating in a volatile region. Such risks may negatively impact the Company's business operations in such regions and may also harm the Company's brand. Moreover, a deterioration of the diplomatic relations between the United States or Canada and a given country may impede the Company's ability to operate IMAX systems in such countries and have a negative impact on the Company's financial condition and future growth prospects.