Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight Rises Generates Strongest-Ever Second-Weekend Results In IMAX® Theatres

LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that The Dark Knight Rises generated strong second weekend global box office results of approximately $15 million in 479 IMAX® theatres worldwide over the weekend of July 29, bringing the film's global IMAX cumulative box office to date to approximately $52 million.

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Domestically, the film grossed an estimated $62 million, of which approximately $9 million was generated in 332 IMAX^® theatres.  Internationally, the film earned approximately $6.4 million in 147 IMAX theatres, bringing IMAX's international total to $14.2 million.

"We've crossed the $50 million mark in the fastest time ever with The Dark Knight Rises, lifted, in part, by exceptional international box office," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "Audiences are clearly seeking out and embracing the film the way it was meant to be seen – in IMAX. We are pleased by the second-weekend results and believe the film will continue to have the legs we anticipated."

"This was an outstanding second weekend," said Greg Foster, IMAX Chairman and President of Filmed Entertainment. "We are extremely gratified Warner Brothers and Christopher Nolan chose to partner with us again and are equally pleased fans around the world are recognizing IMAX is the optimal way to experience the epic final film of the Dark Knight trilogy."

While making the 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan was the first filmmaker to use IMAX^® cameras in a major motion picture release. Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras even more extensively on The Dark Knight Rises: The IMAX Experience^® —including the film's prologue — incorporating a record of more than an hour of footage filmed with IMAX cameras. These specific sequences, which will expand to fill the entire screen exclusively in IMAX, will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for moviegoers.

Sequences filmed in 35mm have been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience^® with proprietary IMAX DMR^® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About The Dark Knight Rises
It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive.  Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act.

But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drives Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cap and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Film by Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight Rises."  The film stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman.

Christopher Nolan directed the film from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer.  Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven produced the film, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull serving as executive producers and Jordan Goldberg co-producing. The film is based upon characters created by Bob Kane and published by DC Comics.

Behind the scenes, "The Dark Knight Rises" reunited the director with several of his longtime collaborators, including director of photography Wally Pfister, production designers Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh, editor Lee Smith, and costume designer Lindy Hemming.  In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould supervised the visual and special effects, respectively.  The music is composed by Hans Zimmer.

www.thedarkknightrises.com

The Dark Knight Rises has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment and technology companies, specializing in the creation and delivery of premium, awe-inspiring entertainment experiences. With a growing suite of cutting-edge motion picture and sound technologies, and a globally recognized entertainment brand, IMAX is singularly situated at the convergence of the entertainment industry, innovation and the digital media world. The industry's top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and as such, the IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe. The Company's new digital projection and sound systems - combined with a growing blockbuster film slate - are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network in established markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging markets such as China and Russia. IMAX deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX^®, IMAX^® 3D, and IMAX DMR^® (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience^®. 

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of June 30, 2012, there were 663 IMAX theatres (529 commercial multiplex, 20 commercial destination and 114 institutional) in 52 countries.

IMAX^®, IMAX^® 3D, IMAX DMR^®, Experience It In IMAX^®, An IMAX 3D Experience^®, The IMAX Experience^® and IMAX Is Believing™ are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Important factors that could affect these statements include, but are not limited to, general economic, market or business conditions, including the length and severity of the current economic downturn, the performance of IMAX DMR films, the opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by IMAX, competitive actions by other companies, conditions in the in-home and out-of home entertainment industries, the signing of theatre system agreements, changes in law or regulations, conditions, changes and developments in the commercial exhibition industry, the failure to respond to changes and advancements in digital technology, the failure to convert theatre system backlog into revenue, new business initiatives, investments and operations in foreign jurisdictions and any future international expansion, the inability to protect IMAX's intellectual property foreign currency fluctuations and IMAX's prior restatements and the related litigation.  These factors and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

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SOURCE IMAX Corporation