AMC Theatres is a movie exhibition company that operates a theater chain that aims to provide a high-quality experience to its viewers. The company experiments in the exhibition industry by utilizing its signature power-recliner seats; delivering upgraded food and beverage choices; generating guest engagement through its loyalty and subscription programs, website, and mobile apps; offering large format experiences, and playing a wide variety of content including the latest releases and independent programming. It offers approximately 960 theatres and 10,700 screens to 200 million guests annually. With innovative amenities and a focus on providing an array of movies in the best theatre environment, AMC is recognized as an industry leader and an iconic destination. The Leawood, Kansas-headquartered company was established in 1920 by Edward, Maurice, and Barney Durwood.

AMC Theatres

Warner Bros. is a media company that creates, produces, distributes, licenses, and markets of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. The company specializes in various entertainment activities, including feature films, television, home entertainment and DVDs, animations, product and brand licensing, interactive entertainment, comic books, digital distribution, video games, international cinemas, and broadcasting. It also develops and produces musicals and other stage productions for the studio.   Warner Bros. has several subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, DC Entertainment.   The company’s official website contains movie trailers, news, classic clips, TV series, and video games. Its online store sells movies, clothing, accessories, toys and games, home décor, collectibles, and more.   Warner Bros. was founded in 1923 and is based in California, United States with presence in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. The company operates as a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., an American media and entertainment company.

Warner Bros.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is an entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content.  In addition, MGM has investments in domestic and international television channels. MGM and its legendary roaring lion logo was formed in April 1924, by theater magnate Marcus Loew, who orchestrated the merger of Metro Pictures Corp., Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions. With visionary Louis B. Mayer and production genius Irving Thalberg at the helm, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was a powerhouse of prolific artistry and filmmaking expertise that the studio famously said attracted ''more stars than are in the heavens.'' During a golden three decades from 1924 to 1954, the Culver City-based studio dominated the movie business, creating a Best Picture nominee every year for two straight decades. One of the more memorable years at the Academy Awards® was in 1939 when MGM's Gone With the Wind and MGM's The Wizard of Oz were both nominated for Best Picture. Gone With the Wind took home Best Picture that year, along with 8 other Oscars. The Wizard of Oz secured two Oscars. Hattie McDaniel Won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and became the first African American to be nominated for and win an Oscar®. United Artists was established on July 15, 1919, by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith and was best known as ''the company built by the stars.'' The budding company quickly left an indelible mark on Hollywood, revolutionizing the motion-picture business by promising creative freedom to actors and filmmakers, while offering the filmmakers a share of the film's profits. UA's Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969 starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, was the first X-Rated film to be nominated and win an Academy Award®. It won 3 Oscars®, including Best Picture. It was changed to an R-rating in 1971. United Artists later joined the MGM family in 1981, and thrived as a member of the ''lion's pride.'' MGM boasts more than 175 Academy Awards® in its vast library. Among those are 14 Best Pictures. These films include; Rebecca (1940), Hamlet (1948), Marty (1955), The Apartment (1960), West Side Story (1961), Tom Jones (1963), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Rocky (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Platoon (1986), Rain Man (1988), Dances With Wolves (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

MGM Studios

IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in immersive motion picture technologies. The worldwide IMAX® theatre network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event Hollywood films around the globe, with IMAX theatres delivering the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX® 3D, and IMAX DMR® technology.  The IMAX® brand is world famous and stands for the highest-quality, most immersive motion picture entertainment. As the IMAX theatre network grows, so does the visibility of the IMAX brand – a name that is unique in the entertainment business.  As of Dec. 31, 2013, there were 837 IMAX theatres (701 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 117 institutions) in 57 countries. IMAX theatres are located in commercial multiplexes as well as some of the most prestigious educational institutions and destination entertainment centers around the globe. More than one billion people have had An IMAX Experience since the first IMAX theatre opened in 1970.  As the Company continues to evolve, its potential in the commercial marketplace continues to increase. While IMAX remains committed to its historical roots in museums and science centres, the Company is rapidly expanding its commercial theatre network. IMAX has forged strategic alliances, relationships and joint ventures with some of the most prominent exhibitors in the world, including AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Inc., CJCGV, Lark International Multimedia, Muvico Theatres, Inc., National Amusements, Inc., Tokyu Cinemas and many more regional operators.  IMAX Corporation is a publicly traded company listed on the New York stock exchange (NYSE: IMAX).

IMAX

Nickelodeon is an American cable and satellite television network that features animated shows, movies, comedies, and programs aimed at children and adolescents. The network comprises seven entertainment channels: Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon HD, Nickelodeon +1, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., Nick Jr. +1 and Nick Jr. 2. It also operates a radio network, a video-on-demand service, and an interactive website.   Nickelodeon network shows include: SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sam & Cat, The Haunted Hathaways, iCarly, Victorious, and more. The network’s official website contains a list of games categorized under the topics: action, adventure, character mash-up, funny, multiplayer, racing, role playing, mini games, strategy, girls’ games, puzzle, sports, music, quiz, and card.   Nickelodeon Suites Resort is a Nickelodeon-themed hotel in Orlando, Florida. Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor amusement park in the Mall of America. Nickelodeon Animation Studio is a production firm located in Burbank, California, that offers animation facilities for several Nicktoons series. Nickelodeon On Sunset is a studio complex in Hollywood, California, which serves the primary production facilities for Nickelodeon's series. Nickelodeon at Sea is a series of Nickelodeon-themed cruise packages in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line.   Nickelodeon was launched on April, 1, 1977 and is operated from New York, United States. It was initially owned by the Time Warner Corporation and is currently owned by Viacom.

Nickelodeon

21st Century Fox is an American multinational mass media corporation. It is one of two companies created from the 2013 split of News Corporation (as founded by Milo and Mary Switz in 1979); 21st Century Fox retains the previous News Corporation's broadcasting and film assets and serves as its legal successor, while its publishing assets were spun off to form News Corp at the same time. The split was designed to ensure that both companies are operated under more ''focused'' management, which Murdoch claimed would ''unlock'' their true value. Among its holdings are Fox Entertainment Group—owners of the 20th Century Fox film studio and Fox television network among other assets, pan-Asian pay channel operator STAR TV, Italian television provider Sky Italia, and stakes in the television providers BSkyB and Sky Deutschland.

21st Century Fox

Majid Al Futtaim is an Emirati holding company based in Dubai.

Majid Al Futtaim Holdings LLC.

Bold Capital Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in life sciences, healthcare, and frontier tech companies.

Bold Capital Partners

Image Nation Abu Dhabi is a film production and entertainment company.

Image Nation Abu Dhabi

Westfield Corp is a shopping center company that houses upscale retail brands. The company integrates fashion, food, leisure, entertainment, and digital technology into their stores in London, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  Westfield Corporation was founded in 1960 and is based in Sydney, Australia.

Westfield Corporation

UTA Ventures is the venture capital arm of United Talent Agency and is based in Beverly Hills, California.

UTA Ventures

Dreamscape Immersive

Dreamscape Immersive is a company that uses VR technologies to create an entirely new form of mainstream location-based entertainment. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Santa Monica, California.

Dreamscape Immersive (Dreamscape) offers location-based AR/VR experiences in Los Angeles, California; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Geneva, Switzerland. Dreamscape experiences last around 35 minutes and allow up to six people to enter an untethered virtual experience to explore and interact with a computer-generated cinematic world as avatars. The user’s body movements are tracked with motion capture in real time.&nbsp;

Technologies bringing about a new reality

Extended Reality

Caecilia Charbonnier on LinkedIn: 3D Artist at Dreamscape Immersive

Dreamscape Immersive (Dreamscape) offers location-based AR/VR experiences in Los Angeles, California; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Geneva, Switzerland. Dreamscape experiences last around 35 minutes and allow up to six people to enter an untethered virtual experience to explore and interact with a computer-generated cinematic world as avatars. The user’s body movements are tracked with motion capture in real time.&nbsp;The company generates revenue through ticket sales, which cost ~USD 25. Post-pandemic Dreamscape ventured into other verticals such as immersive scenario training for government, intelligence, and military clients, as well as education.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsIt partnered with no-code immersive 3D-creation platform Zoe Immersive in December 2021 to license its technology to build collaborative VR experiences such as virtual classrooms and immersive training exercises. Dreamscape partnered with Verizon in April 2021, whereby the telco company would use Dreamscape’s technology to make virtual reality experiences for 5G networks. It also partnered with Arizona State University in September 2020 to create immersive and interactive biology labs for around 1 million students.&nbsp;A strategic partnership with AMC Entertainment, Inc., who had also invested in Dreamscape’s Series B funding round, in 2017 allowed it to open and operate up to six Dreamscape VR centers at AMC theaters and standalone locations in the US and the UK. The latest location under this tie-up was opened in Paramus in November 2021.&nbsp;Funding and financialsIts most recent SEC filings revealed that it raised USD 30.6 million in February 2020

Interplay Learning (Interplay) provides on-demand, interactive, and hands-on simulation learning courses for skilled trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, and facilities maintenance, through VR, mobile, and desktop applications. The learning courses also include simulated walkthrough videos where experts lead users through procedure guides methodically, with knowledge testing features and additional learning material such as wiring diagrams, equations, sample system configs, and charts at the end of each lesson. The platform also enables managers to track user progress.The company operates a subscription-based model with monthly packages for individuals (USD 54) and teams (USD 229), alongside a custom plan for larger organizations.Key customers and partnershipsNotable customers include Tesla and Rheem Manufacturing. Interplay’s customer usage rose by 445% YoY in 2020. As of February 2021, the platform had over 2,000 customers and 110,000 users across the US.Funding and financialsIn its last funding round (February 2021), Interplay raised USD 18 million in Series B funding co-led by S3 Ventures and Owl Ventures, the world’s largest venture capital firm focused on education technology. As part of the deal, Managing Director of Owl Ventures, Ian Chiu, joined Interplay’s board. The funds were raised to expand its offering to new markets and to accelerate its vision to combine immersive learning experiences with a human connection.

Interplay Learning

Switzerland-based WayRay develops holographic AR technology and hardware for the automobile sector. Its technology is used in head-up displays (HUDs) that project images into a driver’s field of vision to assist with navigation. Although its initial focus was on developing HUDs that can be purchased and installed in any vehicle, it has since pivoted to producing embedded HUD systems (i.e., hardware built into vehicles). WayRay’s HUDs are considered to provide a wider field of vision and combine data (location and mapping information) with vision data to generate images by projecting a laser beam through a Picture Generating Unit (PGU) onto a Holographic Optical Element (HOE).&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18537">May 2023</a>, WayRay announced integration of its AR displays into Tesla Model 3's in Switzerland, with plans to follow shortly afterwards in the US. Previously, in September 2021 the company launched its deep reality system that replaces the traditional car dashboard. In addition, WayRay launched “The Holograktor” dubbed the first “metaverse on wheels”, which can be driven conventionally or using a remote control via a 5G and satellite connection (November 2021).&nbsp;The company’s founder and CEO, Vitaly Ponomarev, identified that its systems are more advanced, backed by more patents, and potentially 20x smaller than comparable devices in the market. WayRay’s HQ in Switzerland also acts as a product design and development hub, while its R&amp;D center and prototyping factory are based in Russia.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company is backed by strategic investors such as luxury automaker Porsche, which highlighted the management’s expertise in space engineering, hardware, and software development as key reasons for its investment, Hyundai Motor Co., and Alibaba. It is also notable that these investors, particularly Hyundai, are looking at ways to potentially use WayRay’s technology to offer more services in the future. For instance, Hyundai believed that the technology could be used for smart cities and smart buildings, which are its new areas of interest.WayRay partnered with Karma Automotive, a producer of luxury electric vehicles, in December 2021 to support the implementation of its HUDs into their test fleet. Moreover, it partnered with a leader in designing and manufacturing specialty glass, AGP eGlass, in September 2021 to further proliferate its technology.&nbsp; Funding and financialsIt was reported in April 2021 that the company is considering a public listing at a USD 2 billion valuation via a SPAC, although no further updates on this have been announced as at January 2024.&nbsp;

WayRay

AmazeVR initially focused on developing VR technologies but pivoted to VR concerts in late 2019. The concerts are backed by proprietary 9K cameras and software that automate complex VR concert visual effects that run on more than 100 headsets simultaneously. Users join and hang out with other users as avatars while experiencing VR concerts. It intends to bring VR concerts by major artists to theaters and eventually, homes.AmazeVR rolled out its first commercial VR concert, which will feature 3x Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, in 2022. The artist is expected to tour select AMC Theaters across the US. It is also in the final stages of closing deals with its second and third artists. AmazeVR also revealed plans to release weekly content by 2024 in theaters and for at-home viewers.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20145">July 2023</a>, AmazeVR launched its official AmazeVR Concerts app, featuring an exclusive VR concert from Swedish pop star, Zara Larsson. The app is available on major VR app stores, and the exclusive Zara Larsson VR concert can be accessed for a year at a launch price of USD 6.99. AmazeVR also produces and monetizes VR content on a subscription basis.As of August 2023, the company was in the process of producing and releasing mixed reality concerts by overlaying virtual elements onto live, real-world video.Funding and financialsThe company’s most recent funding was in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13338">September 2022</a>, when it raised USD 17 million in a Series B funding round led by Mirae Asset Capital. The fresh funds were allocated to expand partnerships with artists, artist management companies, labels, publishers, and agencies.

AmazeVR

Dispelix, based in Finland, designs and manufactures single-layer, full-color waveguide displays, a thin (about 1mm) transparent element that takes in a projected image and relays it to the eye, using a nanophotonics-based approach catering to AR applications (e.g., smart glasses). It uses laser beam scanning technology to render laser-sharp images with a gamut of color palettes, which are displayed using beam-combiner technology. Its patented and proprietary approach includes diffractive surface relief gratings, which are elements used for high-power laser applications, fabricated on high refractive index glass wafers that enhance field-of-view and image quality.The company had a total of more than 40 granted or pending patent families as of November 2021. Its product line, Dispelix DPX, includes Dispelix DPX - Ohut, Dispelix DPX - Selva, and Dispelix DPX - Sade with a varying degree of field of view, form factor, and weight. According to Co-Founder and CTO Juuso Olkkonen, its displays are the lightest and thinnest in the market.Key customers and partnerships1) Foxconn and Pegatron: to create reference designs for AR glasses based on its Selvä waveguide display (October 2023)&nbsp;2) VividQ: created a “waveguide combiner” which accurately displays variable-depth 3D content in a user’s environment (January 2023)3) ColorChip and Maradin: To further Light Beam Scanning (LBS) solutions for AR glasses (October 2022)4) Jade Bird Displays: To develop multiple reference designs for AR devices (June 2022)5) AAC Technologies: To improve waveguide displays for the AR and MR industry (March 2022)6) OQmented: for the development and commercialization of MEMS-based LBS technology (November 2021)7) Coretronic: To develop a range of AR optical module solutions (December 2020)8) Hoya Corporation: To improve quality of waveguide displays (November 2020)Funding and financialsIn its most recent funding round (November 2021), Dispelix raised USD 33 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Atlantic Bridge, CCB Trust, and Flashpoint with participation from Lifeline Ventures, VTT Ventures, and 3M Ventures. The funds were allocated to product development. It revealed that several OEM customers were slated to integrate its technology into their consumer offerings by 2023.

Dispelix

DigiLens is a developer of holographic waveguides, which is a clear, thin piece of glass or plastic, used for AR devices. In January 2023, the company launched ARGO, an XR smartglass designed for enterprise and industrial use, the first AR device to utilize Qualcomm’s SnapDragon XR2 platform. Other specifications included 6-degrees of freedom (6-DoF) tracking, a 30-degree field-of-view, spatial audio, a 48MP RGB camera, voice and gaze recognition, access to real-time data visualizations, and a 2,500-nits HD display.&nbsp;The company’s first product, the DigiLens Crystal was introduced in 2019, was a thin-film laser-etched photopolymer embedded with microscopic holograms of mirror-like optics. By projecting a micro display to one end of the lens and another set of optics working to guide the light wave toward the eye, this proved to be an ideal piece of hardware for AR devices, which are preferred with as little hardware as possible.&nbsp;It claims that its patented optical platform and photopolymer technology coupled with a holographic copy manufacturing process enable it to produce cheaper and more scalable solutions. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17598">April 2023</a>, the company announced the launch of SRG+, a surface relief gratings product that improves upon its waveguide technology.The company generates revenue by licensing its technology across a range of industries including the automobile, enterprise, consumer, avionics, and military sectors. DigiLens also offers a white-label solution for automotive companies whereby it creates holographic waveguides for windshields that could offer in-cabin experiences for drivers.&nbsp;&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsKey partnerships include that with1) Phantom Technologies: - Phantom Technology: To integrate Phantom's CASSI Spatial AI assistant into the DigiLens ARGO glasses, providing features such as spatial search, a contextual assistant, and task management using voice commands (October 2023)2) Wisear: To integrate its neural interface-powered earphones with the ARGO smart glasses (May 2023)3) Mojo Vision: To utilize Mojo Vision's micro-LED technology to build improved AR glasses (May 2023)4) Taqtile: To integrate the company's ARGO smart glasses with Taqtile's AR work platform, Manifest (May 2023)5) OMNIVISION: To develop new XR product offerings (January 2023)Other partnerships include that with OMNIVISION (January 2023), a leading global developer of semiconductor solutions to develop new XR product offerings. OMNIVISION’s liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panels allowed DigiLens to build LCOS/LED projectors optimized for its holographic waveguides. OMNIVISION's core camera technology provides DigiLens' devices with features such as visual odometry and six degrees of freedom.&nbsp;DigiLens also works with Taiwanese licensed waveguide manufacturer Young Optics, Chinese original design manufacturer and electronics supplier Malata, Korean display manufacturer Sekonix, international technology company Continental, Chinese optical elements manufacturer Crystal Optech, and Mitsubishi Chemical.&nbsp;Funding and financialsIn April 2022, DigiLens announced the second close of its Series D funding round (intiial close in November 2021) in which it raised USD 50 million at a valuation of USD 530 million. The funds were allocated for the development of DesignV1, its second-generation product.

DigiLens

Companies developing XR headsets and relevant sub-components (displays, sensors, and processors). Also includes complementary XR hardware (tracking devices, haptic vests, and gloves)

Companies offering engines that enable the development of AR/VR content, also includes companies offering capabilities to capture and create 3D images for immersive environments

Companies offering AR/VR solutions or toolkits for specific industry applications, including VR game developers

Companies offering location-based AR/VR experiences

AR/VR platforms offer remote assistance to field experts and headset manufacturers facilitate virtual work

Some solutions in the "content" segment are offered under a B2B SaaS model

Headsets and content segments provide the building blocks for the metaverse

AR, VR, and MR are the primary enabling technologies for the XR industry

Dreamscape Learn raises USD 20 million in Series A financing

Verizon

Verizon and Dreamscape Immersive today announced a partnership aimed at innovating virtual reality (VR) applications using 5G and mobile edge computing (MEC). The partnership’s first priorities will focus on 5G immersive-learning and training innovations for use in enterprise, public sector, and education environments.

Dreamscape Immersive

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