IMAX® Posts Record December Opening Box Office Results With Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Paramount Pictures today announced that Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience, earned approximately $14 million at the box office in IMAX® theatres worldwide during its opening weekend. Domestically, the film generated $10.5 million on 300 IMAX screens, for an IMAX per-screen average of $35,000. Internationally, it generated $3.4 million on 89 IMAX screens, for an IMAX per-screen average of $38,200. The film surpassed the previous December opening box office records set by Tron: Legacy. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience is set to open on 112 additional IMAX® theatres in various territories, including China and the UK.

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"Paramount leveraged an early release in IMAX as a key component of its marketing strategy for this film and based on this promising start we are enthusiastic that this approach will deliver," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "Not only were the global IMAX grosses strong, but we were extremely effective in generating positive reviews, word-of-mouth and substantial social media buzz that we expect will continue to build strong demand for the film going into its wide release on Wednesday. We're very grateful that we could repay Paramount's confidence in IMAX by supporting the overall success of this incredible film and by playing a key strategic role in making this film an event that simply can't be missed."

"The one-two punch of The IMAX Experience coupled with the passionate filmmaking of Brad Bird, JJ Abrams and Tom Cruise is what differentiates this film from the rest of the pack," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "The more than 30 percent uptick in box office from Friday to Saturday points to the growing momentum of the movie heading into its official opening. Given that this film set December records both domestically and globally for IMAX also shows that whether in 2D or 3D, audiences are drawn to a strong movie that features the IMAX DNA."

The IMAX release of this fourth installment of Mission: Impossible features approximately 30 minutes of scenes filmed with IMAX cameras. Exclusively in IMAX, these sequences expand to fill the entire screen, and further immerse the audience in the explosive action and vast scope of the film. One featured sequence includes the unbelievable stunt performed by Tom Cruise as he scaled the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, providing an up-close, you-are-there experience as only IMAX can.

The IMAX release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has 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 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name. No help, no contact, off the grid. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird, in his live action film debut, and written by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec and Christopher McQuarrie. Cruise, who produces the Mission: Impossible films, is joined by producers J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. The film will be co-financed by Skydance Productions. Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Paul Schwake and Dana Goldberg are the executive producers.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (Nasdaq: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.

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 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 opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by IMAX, the performance of IMAX DMR films, conditions in the in-home and out-of home entertainment industries, the signing of theatre system agreements, 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, foreign currency fluctuations and IMAX'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.

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SOURCE IMAX Corporation