Flying Swords of Dragon Gate to be Released in 61 IMAX® Theatres Across China December 15

BEIJING, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Bona Film Group (Nasdaq: BONA), a leading film distributor in China, today announced that the 3D martial arts motion picture Flying Swords of Dragon Gate will be released in China, in the immersive IMAX® 3D format beginning Thursday, December 15.   The film will be released on 61 digital IMAX® screens across China. Throughout its theatrical run, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate will represent the only native Chinese film playing within the IMAX network.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111107/MM01969LOGO)

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate: An IMAX 3D Experience is the first Chinese-language feature production to be released in IMAX 3D.  The film reunites renowned director Tsui Hark with his Once Upon a Time in China leading man, Jet Li, and also stars Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen Kun, Kwai Lun-Mei, Li Yuchun and Fan Xiaoxuan.

"As the first-ever 3D Chinese feature film, this motion picture represents an important milestone in the Chinese film industry," said Dong Yu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Bona Film Group. "We are proud to partner with IMAX to present a stunning cinematic experience that will transport fans into the intensity and action of Tsui Hark's epic martial arts tale."          

"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate is a great culmination of our 2011 film slate and we could not think of a better way to end the year than with this powerful film," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "As our theatre network in China continues to grow, so does the demand for local-language films to be presented in IMAX. Today, we are delighted to join forces with Bona Film Group and offer Chinese movie-goers what they want – the best in Chinese film in the most immersive format available."

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate: An IMAX 3D Experience will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology for presentation in IMAX 3D. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique immersive environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

Chow Wai-On, a Ming Dynasty general played by Jet Li, finds himself at odds with Yu Hua-Tian (Aloys Chen Kun), an evil, power-hungry eunuch. Eventually, these two adversaries cross paths with Lin Yan-Qiu (Zhou Xun) at the titular Dragon Gate Inn, a remote outpost in the desert at the very frontier of the kingdom.

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate: An IMAX 3D Experience is scheduled to play day-and-date at the following IMAX theatres across China beginning December 15:

CHINA

Baotou
Baotou Qingshan Wanda IMAX Theatre

Beijing
Beijing CBD Wanda IMAX Theatre
Beijing Shijingshan Wanda IMAX Theatre
Beijing UME Huaxing IMAX Theatre

Changchun
Changchun Chongqing Road Wanda IMAX Theatre
Changchun Ouya Wanda IMAX Theatre
Changchun Red Flag Street IMAX Theatre

Changsha
Changsha Wanda IMAX Theatre

Changzhou
Changzhou Xinbei Wanda IMAX Theatre

Chengdu
Chengdu Jinhua Wanda IMAX Theatre

Chongqing
Lumiere Chongqing Jinyuan Mall IMAX Theatre

Dalian
Dalian Huafu Wanda IMAX Theatre

Daqing
Daqing Saertu Wanda IMAX Theatre

Fuzhou
Fuzhou Cangshan Wanda IMAX Theatre
Fuzhou Financial Street Wanda IMAX Theatre

Guangzhou
Guangzhou Wanda IMAX Theatre

Hangzhou
Hangzhou Broadway MixC Mall IMAX Theatre
Hangzhou Cinyo IMAX Theatre

Harbin
Harbin Central Street Wanda IMAX Theatre
Harbin Hengshan Wanda IMAX Theatre

Hefei
Hefei Wanda IMAX Theatre

Huai'an
Huai'an Wanda IMAX Theatre

Hohhot
Hohhot Wanda IMAX Theatre

Jinan
Jinan Wanda IMAX Theatre

Kunming
Kunming Broadway IMAX Theatre

Langfang
Langfang Wanda IMAX Theatre

Nanchang
Nanchang Bayi Square Wanda IMAX Theatre

Nanjing
Nanjing Jianye Wanda IMAX Theatre

Ningbo
Ningbo Jiangbei Wanda IMAX Theatre
Ningbo Yinzhou Wanda IMAX Theatre

Qingdao
Qingdao Wanda IMAX Theatre

Sanya
Sanya Wanda IMAX Theatre

Shanghai
Shanghai Jiangqiao Wanda IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Peace IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Stellar Super Brand Mall IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Wujiaochang Wanda IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Zhoupu Wanda IMAX Theatre

Shaoxing
Shaoxing Keqiao Wanda IMAX Theatre

Shenyang
Shenyang Tiexi Wanda IMAX Theatre

Shenzhen
China Film Shenzhen IMAX Theatre
Shenzhen UA KK Mall IMAX Theatre

Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang Yuhua Wanda IMAX Theatre

Suzhou
Suzhou Blue Ocean IMAX Theatre
Suzhou Pingjiang Wanda IMAX Theatre
Suzhou Science & Cultural Arts Center IMAX Theatre

Taizhou
Taizhou Wanda IMAX Theatre

Tangshan
Tangshan Wanda IMAX Theatre

Tianjin
China Film Tianjin IMAX Theatre
Tianjin CGV IMAX Theatre
Tianjin Hedong Wanda IMAX Theatre

Wuhan
Wuhan Jingkai Wanda IMAX Theatre
Wuhan Studio City IMAX Theatre

Wuxi
Wuxi Big World IMAX Theatre

Xiamen
Xiamen Huli Wanda IMAX Theatre

Xi'an
Xi'an Daming Palace Relics Park
Xi'an Jiefang Road Wanda IMAX Theatre

Xiangyang
Xiangyang Wanda IMAX Theatre

Yichang
Yichang Wanda IMAX Theatre

Yinchuan
Yinchuan Jinfeng Wanda IMAX Theatre

Zhengjiang
Zhengjiang Wanda IMAX Theatre

Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou Zhongyuan Wanda IMAX Theatre

Please check local listings or IMAX.com for final theatre listings, launch dates and showtimes.

About IMAX China

IMAX (Shanghai) Multimedia Technology Co., Ltd. (IMAX China) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, and is formed under the laws of the People's Republic of China. IMAX China was established by IMAX Corporation specifically to oversee the expansion of IMAX's business throughout Greater China.

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 theaters 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 September 30, 2011, there were 583 IMAX theatres (441 commercial multiplex, 23 commercial destination and 119 institutional) operating in 48 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® 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 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 opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by the Company, competitive actions by other companies, the performance of IMAX DMR films, 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 convert theatre system backlog into revenue, new business initiatives, investments and operations in foreign jurisdictions and any future international expansion, foreign currency fluctuations and the Company's prior restatements and the related litigation.  These factors and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

SOURCE IMAX Corporation