BEIJING and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) announced today that its network of IMAX® theatres in China enjoyed its biggest single box-office opening day on Friday, Jan. 31, the first day of the Chinese New Year, grossing a record $1.8 million across 140 screens. Driven by the stellar performance of The Monkey King, the martial-arts-themed local-language hit from Filmko Pictures and China Film Group, Chinese IMAX theatres bested their previous single-day mark of $1.5 million, established in 2013 with the release of Marvel's Iron Man 3.

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The Monkey King's record-breaking first day kicked off what is certain to be a strong week-long Chinese New Year holiday for IMAX. Over the three-day holiday weekend, local IMAX theatres took in a robust $4.5 million.

"We'd like to congratulate our partners, Filmko Pictures and China Film Group, on making such a spectacular, action-fueled film that resonates so well with IMAX audiences," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "The Monkey King is a great example of the kind of performance that can happen when the right film is presented in The IMAX Experience®, and we look forward to seeing how the rest of the holiday week unfolds."

Directed by Pou-Soi Cheang, The Monkey King serves as an origins story to Wu Cheng'en's classic The Journey to the West, with acclaimed martial artist and action star Donnie Yen playing the title role of the Monkey King, alongside Yun-Fat Chow and Aaron Kwok.

The IMAX release of The Monkey King has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D 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 make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of Sept. 30, 2013, there were 785 IMAX theatres (653 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 113 institutions) in 55 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. These 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