IMAX (IMAX) issued its Q4 report yesterday. The stock was slightly weak after the market digested the earnings release: it ended the session down 1%. I'm not sure, though, if traders should give up on the stock just yet.

On an adjusted basis, the company behind the big, theatrical 3D format made 20 cents per diluted share. In the previous year's similar quarter, a loss of 22 cents per diluted share was booked. Awesome improvement. As for the analysts, they simply couldn't keep up with the momentum. According to Earnings.com, they were expecting something closer to 6 cents for the income figure.

General Electric's (NYSE: GE) studio division didn't have a great summer at the box office. This past weekend, though, the company's new comedy made waves at the box office.

According to Box Office Mojo, Universal's Couples Retreat, starring Vince Vaughn, took in about $35 million at domestic theaters as of early estimates, more than enough to capture the top slot. Sony (NYSE: SNE) took the next two spots on the chart with Zombieland, and the resilient cartoon Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, respectively. Don't get too cocky, though, Sony, because Disney (NYSE: DIS) was right behind you with its Toy Story 3D special release.

The movie-going public was in the mood to see a classic Hollywood horror archetype over the weekend: zombies. Yep, the walking dead, made popular by George Romero so many years ago, were feasting in darkened theaters across the country. According to Box Office Mojo estimates available at the time of this writing, Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Zombieland made the most money at domestic theaters over the past weekend, taking in $25 million.

Sony also captured second place with its computer cartoon, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. That film is on its way to a total haul of over $100 million. At the moment, it has better than $80 million in the bank. Shareholders of Disney (NYSE: DIS), however, had their own computer cartoons in the marketplace as well. The double feature of Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 came in third with $12 million. To be honest, I thought the idea of running those two back-to-back would be too much to take for the attention spans of the younger crowd. I know it would be way too much for me to take.

Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Pixar have a great thing going with their new cartoon Up. Last weekend, the movie debuted in the top spot. This past weekend, Disney just might retain that number-one designation. And if it does, I can tell you that this is cool news.

It's very close. As of this writing, early estimates at Boxofficemojo credit Up with a take of $44 million for the past three days at domestic theaters. Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) The Hangover is said to have grossed $43 million. If those numbers by any chance hold, then Up will be in first place and Hangover will come in second.

I'm always looking for a catalyst that is going to take Disney (NYSE: DIS) to the next level. The stock hasn't been a great performer over time. Just today, the Mouse issued a press release detailing its latest merchandising plans.

Merchandising falls under the consumer products division. Now, one would expect that this segment would always be rocking considering the brand equity inherent in all of Disney's intellectual properties. Well, let's remind ourselves of how the segment did during the last earnings report. In the second quarter, operating income for consumer products dipped 24%. For the six-month period, operating income was down by 13%. Double-digit declines: nobody likes them. Management commentary about the division specifically stated that lower royalty revenue from merchandise helped to drive the performance. As can be seen, Disney needs some good ideas and strategies to return this segment to growth.

Look out, DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA) -- your arch enemy, Disney (NYSE: DIS), wants to be king of animation at the cinema over the next few years. Actually, I suppose other companies who produce animation, such as Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), and Viacom (NYSE: VIA), should watch out as well.

According to a Disney press release, ten cartoons will be released through 2012. The lineup sounds pretty impressive. We'll be seeing the third Toy Story movie in the summer of 2010, and two years later, audiences will be revving up for a Cars sequel. During the holiday season of 2011, a Pixar fairy tale called "The Bear and the Bow" will be weaving its magic (hopefully) in the multiplexes, which is interesting, because during the summer of that same year, Pixar will be releasing something called "newt", so fans will get two Pixar properties three years from now. Other animated projects include Bolt, which will use the voice talents of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, and The Princess and the Frog.

Whew, there was a lot of cool intellectual properties in that press release, and as a Disney shareholder, I am excited at the prospects. But this isn't just about a bunch of cartoons, my friends -- not at all. This is a huge test for Bob Iger. Was he correct in spending billions to acquire Pixar and its talent trust, specifically John Lasseter? Mr. Lasseter, the chief creative officer for both Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Animation Studios, has a lot of pressure weighing down upon his shoulders. Not sure if he would actually admit that, but he does. He's the man who's supposed to see Disney's animation assets into the future, to bring Disney's animation brand back to prominence. Many people thought that Disney was losing its way in terms of traditional animation; to add insult to injury, some were questioning whether Pixar, when it wasn't part of Disney proper, was what Disney used to be -- innovative in its creativity, obsessed with quality, and driven to provide a moving experience for animation fans whenever they sat before the silver screen.

So, we'll see whether those billions invested in the Pixar acquisition truly will reap stellar returns on invested capital. It will be the performance of the non-Pixar films that will tell the tale.

Disclosure: I own shares of Disney; positions can change at any time.