April 2, 2008--Filmmakers Jean-Jacques and Francois Mantello (the Mantello Brothers) and film presenter Jean-Michel Cousteau are pleased to announce that their new IMAX 3D Theatre film Dolphins and Whales 3D has grossed $607,000 (USD) at the box office in Germany in its first two and a half weeks of exhibition, making it the most successful release ever for a 3D documentary film in the country. 47,000 German spectators have seen the film since its March 13th opening on just 17 screens.

“We are thrilled by the fantastic reaction of both audiences and critics to our latest film. This success is due in no small part to the superb images of whales and dolphins captured for the very first time in 3D and the vocal performance Martina Gedeck provided in German on the heels of Daryl Hannah’s contribution to the original version,” said the Mantello Brothers. “This is excellent news for our Dolphins and Whales 3D and its worldwide run following its initial staggered release on February 15th in the US, where it has posted solid and steady attendance rates with average revenues per screen totalizing $106,000 since its opening.”

For Oliver Fock, general manager of leading movie exhibitor Greater Union Filmpalast, which operates the CineStar IMAX 3D theater in Berlin, “Dolphins and Whales 3D marks the most successful release ever at our IMAX 3D theatre since its inception eight years ago. Our strong and stimulating relationship with 3D Entertainment has been instrumental in the film’s box office success. Given the positive word of mouth and the increasingly strong reaction to this unique 3D experience, we’re hopeful that this great family film will show long legs in the weeks ahead.”

Dolphins and Whales 3D benefited from a day-and-date release on March 13th at Germany’s three IMAX 3D theatres--the CineStar IMAX 3D theatre in Berlin, Sinsheim’s Auto & Technik Museum, and Cinecitta in Nuremberg--as well as at 14 Digital 3D cinemas nationwide, including the Cinemagnum Cinemas in Frankfurt, Weimar, Dresden and Wurzburg, and the Forum am Deutschen Museum in Munich, among others. Delfine und Wale 3D: Nomaden der Meere (German title) is distributed by 3D Entertainment Distribution with Fantasia Film Gmbh & Co Verleih in Germany and Austria.

The film’s European premiere was held on March 10 at Berlin’s CineStar IMAX 3D Theatre at Potsdamer Platz with the filmmakers, ocean explorer and film ambassador Jean-Michel Cousteau and narrator Martina Gedeck (The Lives of Others, Elementary Particles, The Good Shepherd), both pictured here, national celebrities, and leaders from top conservation organizations in attendance.

Dolphins and Whales 3D is currently being shown at 12 IMAX 3D theatres in North America and is continuing its rollout with a total of 49 license agreements to date signed by IMAX 3D theatres. Additional engagements stemming from the film’s industry premiere at the Giant Screen Cinema Association’s Film Expo held in London (UK) in early March will be announced in the coming days.

In North America, the film can be seen at Boston’s New England Aquarium, New Orleans’ Audubon Institute, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach and Austin’s Texas State History Museum, as well as at IMAX 3D theatres in Atlantic City (NJ), West Nyack (NY), Tulsa (OK), Myrtle Beach (SC), Vancouver (BC), Indianapolis (IN), and Dallas (TX). Upcoming openings include the Tennessee Aquarium’s IMAX 3D Theatre in Chattanooga (TN), Tempe’s IMAX 3D theatre at Arizona Mills (AZ), and the IMAX 3D at Providence Place Cinemas 16 in Providence (RI). For a comprehensive list, please connect to www.DOLPHINSandWHALES3D.com/IMAXscreens.

Dolphins and Whales 3D immerses viewers in the daily lives of small and giant cetaceans as they interact socially, play, communicate, feed, breed, migrate and fight for their survival. It also delivers a powerful message in favour of the protection of these tribes while they are facing the greatest challenge of all: to survive the destruction of their habitat and depletion of food resources.

The film is produced by 3D Entertainment and McKinney Underwater Productions and released by 3D Entertainment’s distribution unit in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS-The Bonn Convention), and nonprofit organizations PADI’s Project Aware and Reef Check.

Three years in the making, the film required no fewer than 12 international expeditions and 600 hours spent underwater at some of the remotest locations on Earth, including off the Pacific Ocean atolls of Moorea and Rurutu (French Polynesia), Vava’u Island (Kingdom of Tonga), Pico Island (Azores) and the Valdez Peninsula (Argentina). Unlike other IMAX-type films, it was shot entirely in the wild and consists solely of underwater footage, with no humans on screen.

The official film website is www.DOLPHINSandWHALES3D.com.