Interstellar Takes Flight At Chinese Box Office, Scoring 2D Record Launch In IMAX® With $6.7 Million

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Nov 18, 2014, 06:54 ET

Film Kick-Starts Record Five-Day Debut in China with Benchmark Midnight and Opening Day Grosses

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) today announced that writer-director Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures, opened in China to record-setting results, estimating $6.7 million from 174 IMAX® theatres in five-days, making it the highest grossing IMAX 2D title ever in the market.

Interstellar began its record IMAX debut in China with an opening day gross of $1.1 million, the highest IMAX 2D opening of all time locally, as well as a career-best debut in China for Nolan and the overall largest opening-day IMAX gross in November. The film also earned nearly $185,000 in midnight grosses from 159 IMAX theatres, which accounted for more than half of the film's total late-night gross in China.

"The record-setting launch in China reaffirms the power and efficacy of Christopher Nolan films and his connection with IMAX," said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "After its powerhouse worldwide debut last weekend in IMAX — and now with China added so successfully to the mix — we couldn't be more excited about how we believe Interstellar will perform in our global network over its run."

Interstellar has grossed more than $49.3 million worldwide from 751 IMAX locations, including China. Domestically, the film so far has grossed an estimated $25.2 million on 368 IMAX theatres, while international IMAX totals have reached $24 million from 383 theatres.

Continuing the legacy begun by IMAX trailblazer Christopher Nolan and his use of the 15 perf 65mm IMAX® cameras in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, more than an hour of Interstellar was shot using IMAX cameras. Exclusively in IMAX theatres, these sequences expand to fill the entire screen and will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and provide audiences with a truly cinematic and immersive experience.

Sequences of Interstellar shot in 35mm film 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 Interstellar

"INTERSTELLAR" stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars. Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.

To learn more about Interstellar, visit the film's Official website:
www.interstellar-movie.com.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures meets worldwide tastes and demands with a diverse mix of filmed entertainment and is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films. The International Division operates offices in 24 countries and releases films in over 125 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures. Internationally, the Studio has been the market leader in six of the last 13 years, having surpassed $1 billion in grosses a total of 15 years, 12 of which were consecutive years, and crossed $2 billion five times, including 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

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 September 30, 2014, there were 880 IMAX theaters (751 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 110 institutions) in 60 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.

For additional information please contact:

Business Media:

IMAX Corporation – New York

Ann Sommerlath

212-821-0155

[email protected]

Sloane & Company – New York

Whit Clay

212-446-1864

[email protected]

Investors:

IMAX Corporation – New York