LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sony Pictures Animation and IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq:IMAX) (TSX:IMX) today announced that Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: An IMAX 3D Experience will open in 127 IMAX(R) theatres domestically and 11 IMAX theatres internationally starting today. While the film is being released in 3,119 locations, the majority of which are 3-D, the special IMAX(R) 3D release has been digitally re-mastered from Sony Pictures Animation's Stereoscopic 3-D master into the state-of-the-art image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R) with IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-Mastering) technology.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an adaptation of the bestselling children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. The film was written for the screen and directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord. The film is produced by Pam Marsden.

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a fantastic animated motion picture that will play extraordinarily well in all 3-D and 2-D locations and to see it in IMAX 3D is amazing," said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide theatrical distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment.

"This family movie looks and sounds amazing in IMAX 3D, and we believe the 3D storytelling will resonate with IMAX audiences worldwide," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "Our growing commercial theatre network has enabled us to open this film to more IMAX audiences, and we're looking forward to offering another fun and exciting IMAX 3D release from our partners at Sony."

"This is a great way to kick-off our exciting fall lineup and we're thrilled to once again be working with our partners at Sony," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "The talented cast and animation artists combined with a wonderful story will transport moviegoers from their seats right into the fantasy world that is Swallow Falls."

Starting Friday, Columbia Pictures' and Sony Pictures Animation's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain.

Bill Hader, star of "Saturday Night Live" and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, will voice Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone's life. Anna Faris, who recently turned heads as the star of the comedy hit The House Bunny, takes on the role of Sam Sparks, a weathergirl covering the phenomenon who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior. James Caan plays Tim Lockwood, Flint's technophobic father. Andy Samberg plays Brent, the town bully who has plagued Flint since childhood. Bruce Campbell plays Mayor Shelbourne, who figures out that Flint's invention can put the town, and more importantly himself, on the map and Mr. T plays the by-the-rules town cop Earl Devereaux. The film also features the vocal talent of Neil Patrick Harris.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: An IMAX 3D Experience is scheduled to play day-and-date at the following IMAX theatres beginning September 18th.



 UNITED STATES
 Arizona
 Mesa - Dickinson Gateway 12 IMAX Theatre
 Phoenix - AMC Deer Valley 30 with IMAX
 Arkansas
 Little Rock - Dickinson Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre
 California
 Aliso Viejo - Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20 & IMAX
 Arcadia - AMC Santa Anita 16 & IMAX
 Burbank - AMC Burbank 16 & IMAX
 Camarillo - Edwards Camarillo Palace Stadium 12 & IMAX
 Covina - AMC Covina 30 with IMAX
 Cupertino - AMC Cupertino 16 & IMAX
 Dublin - Regal Hacienda Crossings Stadium 21 & IMAX
 El Dorado Hills - Regal Cinemas El Dorado Hills Stadium 14 & IMAX
 Emeryville - AMC Bay Street 16 & IMAX
 Escondido - Regal Escondido Stadium 16 & IMAX
 Fairfield - Edwards Fairfield Stadium 16 & IMAX
 Irvine - Edwards Irvine Spectrum IMAX
 Long Beach - Edwards Long Beach 26 & IMAX
 Los Angeles - AMC Century City 15 & IMAX
 Los Angeles - IMAX Theatre at The Bridge: cinema de lux
 Los Angeles - AMC Universal CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX
 National City - AMC Plaza Bonita 14 & IMAX
 Ontario - Edwards Ontario Palace 22 & IMAX
 Rowland Heights - AMC Puente Hills 20 with IMAX
 Sacramento - Esquire IMAX
 San Diego - AMC Palm Promenade 24 & IMAX
 San Diego - Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18 & IMAX
 San Jose - AMC Eastridge Mall 15 & IMAX
 San Francisco - AMC Loews Metreon 16 with IMAX
 Santa Clara - AMC Mercado 20 & IMAX
 Simi Valley - Regal Civic Center Plaza 16 & IMAX
 South Gate - Edwards South Gate Stadium 20 & IMAX
 Stockton - Regal City Centre Stadium 16 & IMAX
 Torrance - AMC Del Amo 18 & IMAX
 Woodland Hills - AMC Promenade 16 & IMAX
 Colorado
 Denver - UA Colorado Center Stadium 9 & IMAX
 Highlands Ranch - AMC Highlands Ranch 24 & IMAX
 Westminster - AMC Orchard 12 & IMAX
 Westminster - AMC Westminster Promenade 24 & IMAX
 Florida
 Altamonte Springs - AMC Altamonte Mall 18 & IMAX
 Aventura - AMC Aventura 24 & IMAX
 Fort Lauderdale - AutoNation(R) IMAX(R) Theater at Museum of
  Discovery and Science
 Fort Myers - Regal Gulf Coast Town Center Stadium 16 & IMAX
 Jacksonville - AMC Regency 24 & IMAX
 Orange Park - AMC Orange Park 24 & IMAX
 Orlando - Regal Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX
 South Miami - AMC Sunset Place 24 & IMAX
 Tallahassee - AMC Tallahassee Mall 20 with IMAX
 Tampa - AMC Veterans 24 & IMAX
 West Palm Beach - Muvico Parisian IMAX
 Georgia
 Augusta - Regal Augusta Exchange Stadium 20 & IMAX
 Buford - Regal Mall of Georgia Stadium 20 & IMAX
 Kennesaw - AMC Barrett Commons 24 & IMAX
 Morrow - AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 & IMAX
 Hawaii
 Honolulu - Regal Dole Cannery 18 & IMAX
 Illinois
 Chicago - Navy Pier IMAX Theatre
 South Barrington - AMC Barrington 30 & IMAX
 Indiana
 Indianapolis - Kerasotes ShowPlace 16 & IMAX
 Kansas
 Olathe - AMC Studio 30 & IMAX
 Kentucky
 Newport - AMC Newport On The Levee 20 & IMAX
 Louisiana
 Harahan - AMC Elmwood Palace 20 & IMAX
 Maine
 Saco - Cinemagic & IMAX in Saco
 Maryland
 Baltimore - AMC Loews White Marsh 16 & IMAX
 Columbia - AMC Columbia 14 & IMAX
 Massachusetts
 Danvers - AMC Liberty Tree Mall 20 & IMAX
 Methuen - Loews Methuen 20 with IMAX
 Natick - Verizon IMAX 3D Theater at Jordan's Furniture - Natick
 Reading - Verizon IMAX 3D Theater at Jordan's Furniture - Reading
 Michigan
 Dearborn - The Henry Ford IMAX Theatre
 Grand Rapids - Celebration! Cinema IMAX Theatre
 Sterling Heights - AMC Forum 30 & IMAX
 Minnesota
 Apple Valley - Great Clips IMAX Theatre
 Roseville - AMC Rosedale 14 & IMAX
 Missouri
 Independence - AMC Independence Commons 20 & IMAX
 Kansas City - AMC BarryWoods 24 & IMAX
 Nevada
 Henderson - Regal Sunset Station Stadium 13 & IMAX
 Las Vegas - Regal Red Rock Stadium 16 & IMAX
 North Las Vegas - Regal Aliante Stadium 16 & IMAX
 New Hampshire
 Hooksett - Cinemagic & IMAX in Hooksett
 New Jersey
 Atlantic City - Tropicana IMAX Theatre
 Cherry Hill - AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 & IMAX
 Hamilton - AMC Hamilton 24 & IMAX
 New Brunswick - Loews New Brunswick 18 with IMAX
 New York
 Albany - Regal Crossgates Mall 18 & IMAX
 Brooklyn - UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 & IMAX
 Deer Park - Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 & IMAX
 New York City - AMC Loews 34th Street 14 & IMAX
 New York City - AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 & IMAX
 New York City - AMC Empire 25 & IMAX
 Stony Brook - AMC Stony Brook 17 & IMAX
 West Nyack - IMAX Theatre at Palisades Center
 North Carolina
 Charlotte - Regal Stonecrest At Piper Glen Stadium 22 & IMAX
 Concord - AMC Concord Mills 24 & IMAX
 Ohio
 Columbus - AMC Easton Town Center 30 & IMAX
 Oregon
 Tigard - Regal Bridgeport Village Stadium 18 & IMAX
 Pennsylvania
 Bensalem - AMC Neshaminy 24 & IMAX
 Homestead - AMC Waterfront 22 & IMAX
 King of Prussia - UA King of Prussia Stadium 16 & IMAX
 Reading - RC Reading Movies 11 + IMAX
 Rhode Island
 Providence - Providence Place Cinemas 16 & IMAX
 Tennessee
 Knoxville - Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 at Turkey Creek
 Nashville - Regal Opry Mills 20 & IMAX
 Texas
 Dallas - Cinemark IMAX Theatre at Cinemark 17
 Frisco - Stonebriar 24 with IMAX
 Garland - AMC Firewheel 18 & IMAX
 Houston - AMC Gulf Pointe 30 & IMAX
 Houston - Edwards Houston Marq*e 23 & IMAX
 Mesquite - AMC Mesquite 30 & IMAX
 San Antonio - Santikos Palladium 18 IMAX Theatre
 Sugar Land - AMC First Colony 24 & IMAX
 Virginia
 Alexandria - AMC Hoffman Center 22 & IMAX
 Midlothian - Regal Commonwealth 20 & IMAX
 Virginia Beach - AMC Lynnhaven 18 & IMAX
 Woodbridge - AMC Potomac Mills 18 & IMAX
 Washington
 Bellevue - Lincoln Square Cinemas IMAX Theatre
 Kent - AMC Kent Station & IMAX
 Lacey - Regal Martin Village Stadium 16 & IMAX
 Seattle - Pacific Science Center Boeing IMAX Theatre
 Seattle - Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX
 Tukwila - AMC Southcenter 16 & IMAX
 Wisconsin
 Fitchburg - Kerasotes Star 18 & IMAX

 CANADA
 Alberta
 Calgary - Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Chinook IMAX Theatre
 Edmonton - Cineplex Scotiabank West Edmonton Mall IMAX Theatre
 British Columbia
 Langley - Cineplex Colossus Langley IMAX Theatre
 Nova Scotia
 Halifax - Empire IMAX Theatre
 Ontario
 Gloucester - Cineplex SilverCity Gloucester IMAX Theatre
 Mississauga - Cineplex Coliseum Mississauga IMAX Theatre
 Vaughan - Cineplex Colossus Woodbridge IMAX Theatre
 Quebec
 Quebec City - IMAX des Galeries de la Capitale

 INTERNATIONAL
 Argentina
 Buenos Aires - IMAX Showcase Norte
 Brazil
 Curitiba - Palladium Shopping Center IMAX
 Sao Paolo - Bourbon Shopping Center Espaco Unibanco Pompeia IMAX
 Bulgaria
 Sofia - Mtel IMAX
 Czech Republic
 Prague - Oskar IMAX Palace Flora
 Colombia
 Bogota - IMAX Theatre Centro Commercial Plaza de las Americas
 Hungary
 Budapest - Cinema City Arena IMAX Hungary
 India
 Mumbai - Big Cinemas IMAX Theatre
 Japan
 Kanagawa - 109 Cinemas Kawasaki
 Minoh - 109 Cinemas Minoh
 Saitama - 109 Cinemas Shobu
 Kuwait
 Kuwait City - 360 Mall IMAX Theatre
 Mexico
 Juarez - Cinepolis Las Misiones Cd. Juarez IMAX Theatre
 Mexico City - Cinepolis Perisur IMAX Theatre
 Mexico City - Cinepolis Universidad IMAX Theatre
 Toluca - Cinepolis Galerias Metepec IMAX Theatre
 Poland
 Katowice - Orange IMAX Katowice
 Krakow - Orance IMAX Krakow
 Lodz - Orange IMAX Manufaktura
 Poznan - Poznan IMAX
 Warsaw - Orange IMAX Sabyda
 Qatar
 Doha - Villagio Shopping Mall IMAX Theatre
 Russia
 Moscow - KinoStar City @ Mega Belaya Dacha
 Moscow - Nescafe IMAX
 St. Petersburg - Coca-Cola IMAX Kinostar City
 South Africa
 Durban - Gateway IMAX Theatre
 Pretoria - Menlyn IMAX Theatre
 Turkey
 Ankara - Ankara AFM IMAX
 Istanbul - AFM IMAX Istinye Park
 UK
 Greenwich - ODEON Greenwich IMAX
 London - BFI London IMAX Cinema
 Wimbledon - ODEON Wimbledon IMAX
 Ukraine
 Kiev - Utel IMAX Theatre

Additional theatres will be confirmed. Please check local listings or IMAX.com for final theatre listings, launch dates and showtimes.

About IMAX Corporation

IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in immersive 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 3D, and IMAX DMR 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. The IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive entertainment experiences for consumers. As of June 30, 2009, there were 394 IMAX theatres (273 commercial, 121 institutional) operating in 44 countries.

IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAXDMR(R), An 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.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imaxnews) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

The IMAX Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6469

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation exemplifies the next generation of CGI storytelling to produce a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. Sony Pictures Animation is developing a full slate of films including the mouth-watering 3D comedy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs now in production for a September 2009 release, in pre-production on Hotel Transylvania and in pre-production in association with Columbia Pictures on The Smurfs Movie. In 2007, Surf's Up, was nominated for an Academy Award(R) for Best Animated Feature and won two Annie Awards. The company's first film, Open Season, was a box office success and the #2 DVD title of the year for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Its sequel, Open Season 2, released in 2009, was an international family hit. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.

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 ongoing discussions with the SEC and OSC relating to their ongoing inquiries and the Company's accounting, the performance of films, the signing of theatre system agreements, the viability of new technologies, businesses and products, the timing of theatre system deliveries, the mix of theatre systems shipped, the timing of the recognition of revenues and expenses on film production and distribution agreements, risks arising from potential material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and fluctuations in foreign currency and in the large format, general commercial exhibition and out-of-home entertainment markets. 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.

CONTACT: IMAX Corporation, New York
Media:
Sarah Gormley
212-821-0155
sgormley@imax.com
Investors:
Heather Anthony
212-821-0121
hanthony@imax.com

Rogers & Cowan, Los Angeles
Entertainment Media:
Jason Magner
310-854-8128
jmagner@rogersandcowan.com

Sloane & Company, New York
Business Media:
Whit Clay
212-446-1864
wclay@sloanepr.com