January 7, 2009--SK Films and Cosmic Picture are pleased to announce that the world premiere of Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta will take place on January 7, 2009. The film will be showcased to over 6,500 people on a specially built IMAX outdoor screen at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. The screen, measuring 100 feet by 70 feet, is the largest outdoor screen ever assembled.
January 7, 2009-- Science North, Northern Ontario’s most popular tourist attraction and educational resource, is closing its IMAX theater from January 5 to February 28 while completing upgrades, including the installation of a 3D IMAX projector. The entire science center complex will be closed for 12 days, from Monday, January 5, through to Friday, January 16, 2009, inclusive for scheduled maintenance.
December 15, 2008--IMAX Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox today announced that The Day The Earth Stood Still, which opened number one at the domestic box office, generated an estimated $31 million, with 123 IMAX theaters contributing approximately $3.7 million the domestic total. From Friday, December 12, through Sunday, December 14, the IMAX release generated an impressive per screen average of approximately $30,000. Included in the weekend's performance were 38 locations equipped with IMAX's new digital projection technology. The film also had a strong international opening, grossing $532,000 from 20 IMAX screens, and it will ultimately play on 26 international IMAX screens in the weeks to come.
December 12, 2008--After three and a half months of extensive renovations and technology upgrades, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center plans to reopen its Space Theater on Saturday, December 13, 2008, with three IMAX films showing daily on the 76-foot tilted dome screen: Wild Ocean, Van Gogh: Brush with Genius, and Animalopolis. The Space Theater renovation is a major component of the Fleet Science Center’s $20 million capital campaign, “Creating Possibilities, Inspiring Tomorrow,” which is also providing invaluable financial support for expanded education programs and facilities, new hands-on science exhibitions and greater long-term financial security by strengthening the organization’s endowment.
December 12, 2008--Paramount Pictures and IMAX Corporation today announced that Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams (Mission: Impossible III, Lost and Alias), will be simultaneously released to both IMAX and conventional theaters worldwide on May 8, 2009. Star Trek, which chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members, will be digitally re-mastered with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. Paramount Pictures will be the exclusive distributor of the film to IMAX theaters worldwide.
December 12, 2008--IMAX Corporation today announced that effective April 1, 2009, Bradley J. Wechsler, currently co-Chairman and co-CEO of the Company, will become the sole Chairman of the Board. Richard L. Gelfond, currently co-Chairman and co-CEO, will become the sole CEO, reporting to the Board of Directors, and will also retain his seat on the Board. This new management structure will be put in place as the Company continues to successfully implement its Hollywood and digital strategies and enters a new phase in IMAX's growth. With the anticipated rapid growth of the IMAX network over the next several years, Messrs. Wechsler and Gelfond also announced that IMAX will begin a search for a Chief Operating Officer to help manage the Company's expanded operations. The Chief Operating Officer will report to Mr. Gelfond.
December 10, 2008--IMAX Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox today announced that The Day The Earth Stood Still, directed by Scott Dickerson and starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and Jaden Smith, will open domestically on December 12, 2008, in 123 IMAX theaters, including 38 new locations equipped with IMAX's digital projection system, in conjunction with the film's nationwide release. The film will also open in 26 IMAX theaters internationally, including 6 new locations equipped with IMAX's digital projection system, during the days and weeks following the domestic launch. The Day The Earth Stood Still has been digitally remastered with IMAX’s proprietary DMR technology.
December 3, 2008--The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has announced a gift of $6 million for Phase Two of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from Airbus Americas Inc. The gift is the largest corporate gift to the Smithsonian Institution in 2008. In recognition of the donation, the IMAX Theater at the Udvar-Hazy Center will be named the Airbus IMAX Theater.
December 3, 2008--3D Entertainment Distribution proudly announced today that its latest IMAX theater release, Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, crossed the USD $10 million mark at the worldwide box office this past weekend. Benefitting from a staggered release at IMAX 3D theaters, the film was first launched domestically in mid-February before opening in select international territories, including Australia, Germany, Poland and Russia.
December 2, 2008—To mark the 60th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) this year, special screenings of U2 3D, the first-ever live-action digital 3D film, are being shown in cities around the world, including in Sydney, Australia; across Mexico; Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; and Sandy, Utah. Praised from Cannes to Sundance, the film marries innovative digital 3D imagery and multi-channel surround sound with the excitement of a live U2 concert. It was produced by 3ality Digital and is being distributed by National Geographic Entertainment.