Vista Group posted an 11% increase in revenue in its half-year results, although the business reported a loss. Photo / 123RF
Vista Group posted an 11% increase in revenue in its half-year results, although the business reported a loss. Photo / 123RF
Cinema software company Vista Group has posted strong revenue growth across all its divisions for the first half of the financial year, although the business still recorded a loss after tax.
Vista reported total revenue of $77 million for the six months to June 30, up 11% compared to thesame period last year.
Its recurring revenue also grew by 11% to $70.4m, while software-as-a-service (SaaS) revenue grew by 24% to $31.6m.
The company reported earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (ebitda) of $10m, up 39% compared to the first half of 2024, with ebitda margin rising from 10% to 13%.
While the business reported a loss before tax of $1.3m that was a 64% improvement on the first half of 2024 when it reported a first-half loss of $1.2m.
Vista Group chief executive Stuart Dickinson said demand for its Vista Cloud solution continued to grow, reflecting strong market appetite for its cloud solutions.
“With demand now exceeding our delivery capacity, we’re responding decisively to prioritise our clients by scaling the capacity of our technology and delivery teams, who are already operating at peak efficiency,” Dickinson said.
“This will accelerate client onboarding and unlock the full potential of our pipeline.”
Vista Group CEO Stuart Dickinson said the business' growth has reinforced its strategic confidence. Phtoto / Supplied
Dickinson said the business had shipped over 42 new features to its clients so far in 2025, with an embedded payment system launching with select clients in the second half of this year.
The business has also brought on two new clients, including Odeon Cinemas Group, which has 309 locations, and Village Cinemas Australia, which has 20 locations.
There are also 747 locations live on the business’ Vista Cloud Platform, with the second half expected to see the number rise to 1600 locations.
Dickinson said the business was focused on delivering long-term value to clients and shareholders.
“The traction we’re seeing across Vista Cloud and our growth adjacencies reinforces our confidence in the strategy and the opportunity ahead.”
Looking ahead, Vista Group is on track to achieve its full-year revenue guidance of $167m and ebitda margin of between 16%-18%.
The business has made good progress on its goal of over 1600 locations on its Vista Cloud platform by the end of the year, however, a significant proportion of locations from one key client could be delayed until 2026.
The business has upgraded its aspirations for 6000 locations using Vista Cloud, lifting its expected annual recurring revenue to $315m and its ebitda margin to between 33%-37%.
The film industry has been bolstered by several high-profile movies in the first half of the year, including Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
The second half of the year is also set to perform strongly, with tentpole titles including the already released Superman, Jurassic World: Rebirth and F1: The Movie.
Analysts react
Jarden analysts Guy Hooper and Nick Yeo said it was a mixed result tracking towards the bottom end of prior full-year guidance.
“Momentum in signings and new product roll-out remains positive and supports growth, with the company pointing to internal capacity constraints as a key driver for slower go lives as it increases investment in tooling and accelerating scalability,” Hooper and Yeo said.
Hooper and Yeo said that domestic box office performance has been robust and is up by 15% year-on-year, however, the strength has lagged behind earlier forecasts.
Vista shares were up 1c to $3.32 in early morning trading.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
