Star Trek Shatters Virtually All Opening Weekend IMAX Box Office Records

Star Trek Shatters Virtually All Opening Weekend IMAX Box Office Records

IMAX Release Posts $9.6 Million Worldwide on Opening Weekend

Moviegoers Flood IMAX(R) Theatres with Only Ten Days Left for IMAX Engagement

Highlights include: - Largest domestic opening at $8.5 million - Domestic per screen average of approximately $62,000

LOS ANGELES, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IMAX Corporation (NASDAQ:IMAX; TSX:IMX) and Paramount Pictures today announced that Star Trek: The IMAX Experience, directed by J.J. Abrams ("Mission: Impossible III", "Lost" and "Alias"), shattered virtually every opening weekend IMAX box office record, posting $8.5 million from 138 IMAX(R) theatres domestically. The limited IMAX run registered a per screen average of approximately $62,000 for the weekend, marking the highest grossing Friday, Saturday and Sunday ever for an IMAX opening. IMAX's domestic opening contributed 11% of the hit film's overall domestic box office gross of $79.2 million on less than 2% of the screens.

The IMAX release also broke records internationally, generating more than $1.1 million from 25 IMAX screens, for a per screen average of $44,000, bringing the worldwide IMAX box office to $9.6 million.

Star Trek has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R) with proprietary IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-mastering) technology.

"We couldn't be happier with the overall performance of the film and we're particularly pleased with the incredibly strong performance of the expanding IMAX network. The enhanced image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience is clearly resonating with moviegoers," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman, Paramount Pictures.

"Star Trek blew away virtually all of our opening weekend box office records," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "These strong results further validate our digital rollout and joint revenue sharing model with exhibitors and customers. The only factor limiting our box office performance this weekend was that our theatres were essentially at capacity, even with our expanding network. We anticipate continued strong performance through next weekend as the film is only scheduled to play in wide release in IMAX theatres for ten more days."

"This weekend demonstrates that, regardless of whether a film is in 2D or 3D, the power of The IMAX Experience continues to drive audiences at record levels to IMAX theatres worldwide," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "Paramount Pictures really understands the power of bringing two great brands together, especially with a visionary director like J.J. Abrams, who had the foresight to recognize that IMAX and Star Trek are a perfect match. He has created an amazing film that perfectly aligns The IMAX Experience with Star Trek fans in addition to a much wider audience that reaches beyond devoted Trekkies."

About IMAX Corporation

IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in digital and film-based motion picture technologies. The worldwide IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event Hollywood films around the globe, with IMAX theatres delivering the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX(R) 3D, and IMAX DMR(R) technology. IMAX DMR is the Company's groundbreaking digital re-mastering technology that allows it to digitally transform virtually any conventional motion picture into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R). IMAX's renowned projectors display crystal-clear images on the world's biggest screens, and the IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive entertainment experiences for consumers. As of March 31, 2009, there were 371 IMAX theatres (250 commercial, 121 institutional) operating in 43 countries.

IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX(R) DMR, The IMAX 3D Experience(R) and The IMAX Experience(R) 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.tinyurl.com/facebookimax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imaxnews) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on 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 the Company, 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, investments and operations in foreign jurisdictions, foreign currency fluctuations and the Company's prior restatements and the related litigation and ongoing inquiries by the SEC and the OSC. 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

CONTACT: Media: IMAX Corporation, New York, Sarah Gormley, (212)
821-0155, sgormley@imax.com; Business Media: Sloane & Company, New York, Whit
Clay, (212) 446-1864, wclay@sloanepr.com; Entertainment Media: Rogers & Cowan,
Los Angeles, Elliot Fischoff/Jason Magner, (310) 854-8128,
jmagner@rogersandcowan.com; Investors: IMAX Corporation, New York, Heather
Anthony, (212) 821-0121, hanthony@imax.com

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Profile: International Entertainment