Brands
Imax China and China Media Capital take next steps for $50 Million China film fund
MUMBAI: Imax Corporation and Imax China (HK.1970) today announced the completion of the formative agreements to establish the IMAX China Film Fund with partner China Media Capital (“CMC”). The China Film Fund, which will initially be capitalized with $50 million, will co-finance approximately 15 Mandarin-language tent pole films over three years. The Fund will target productions that can leverage the IMAX® brand, technology, relationships, and release windows.
The China Film Fund will take advantage of favorable trends in the Chinese market, strengthening the IMAX brand and capitalizing on relationships with studio, exhibitor and local distribution partners, as well as content creators. The Fund will enhance an already successful IMAX slate of Chinese DMR films and leverage CMC’s experience within China’s content creation industry.
The Fund will target contributions of between $3 million and $7 million per film, and will operate under an IMAX-CMC greenlight committee. IMAX and CMC may potentially bring in other investors to increase the size of the Fund.
“Our strong relationships with China’s most acclaimed studios and filmmakers mirror those we’ve established in Hollywood, thanks to the support of our valued partner CMC,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “The Fund will further deepen our ties in the China film industry and allow us to generate the highest-quality Mandarin content for Chinese and international audiences alike. Our commitment to the success of our business in China and its filmmaking community is unwavering. Together, we are excited to launch a new and exciting chapter of filmmaking in China.”
“The appetite for premium Chinese content among the nation’s moviegoers continues to grow. The Fund is an outgrowth of CMC’s privileged capability and extensive connections in the Chinese film industry and IMAX’s beloved brand and differentiated cinematic experience. We hope this will support the creation of more tentpole Mandarin-language films,” said CMC ChairmanRuigang Li. “Together we are thrilled to play a strategic role in shaping the future of filmed entertainment in China.”
“Our early involvement in the Chinese cinema industry has afforded us tremendous brand value and has helped cement IMAX as the go-to format for blockbuster movies,” added Jiande Chen, CEO, IMAX China. “The Fund is a part of our continued growth and evolution within China that coincides with the nation’s growing cinema industry and trend toward locally-produced blockbuster content, which along with CMC we will now help to finance.”
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
