IMAX Adds New Installment of the Spider-Man(R) Motion Picture Franchise to Its 2012 Film Slate

LOS ANGELES, Jul 26, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) (TSX:IMX), and Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that the highly anticipated 3D action-adventure, The Amazing Spider-Man, will be released to IMAX(R) theatres simultaneously with the film's worldwide release on July 3, 2012. To date, the Spider-Man motion picture franchise has generated more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office receipts. The last two installments of the franchise were also released in IMAX.

The Amazing Spider-Man stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the Marvel Entertainment production for Columbia Pictures.

"We couldn't be more excited to be able to offer this extraordinary new Spider-Man adventure in IMAX," said Rory Bruer, President Worldwide Distribution, Sony Pictures Entertainment. "Marc Webb and the entire production team have been working tirelessly to deliver a 3D motion picture that will take the Spider-Man experience to a whole new level. Audiences will literally feel like they are swinging through the streets of New York and that will only be accentuated when seen in IMAX."

"I was blown away after getting a sneak peek at some early footage for The Amazing Spider-Man and this latest installment in the iconic franchise is a perfect DNA match for IMAX," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "The film is an important addition to our 2012 film slate and we're excited to be working with Marc Webb, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and the team at Sony Pictures Entertainment to take IMAX and Spider-Man fans around the globe on this next adventure in IMAX 3D."

The IMAX release of The Amazing Spider-Man will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R) with proprietary IMAX DMR(R) (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 Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

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(R) (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 and Shanghai. As of December 31, 2010, there were 518 IMAX theatres (396 commercial, 122 institutional) operating in 46 countries.

IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX DMR(R), Experience It In IMAX(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/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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

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, competitive actions by other companies, the performance of IMAX DMR films, conditions in the in-home and out-of home entertainment industries, the signing of theatre system agreements, changes in law or regulations, conditions, 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 and any future international expansion, foreign currency fluctuations and IMAX's prior restatements and the related litigation and investigation by the SEC and the ongoing inquiry by the OSC. These factors and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: IMAX Corporation

CONTACT: Entertainment Media:
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Steve Elzer
310-244-7142
Steve_elzer@spe.sony.com
IMAX Corporation - Santa Monica
Rebecca Klein
310-255-5656
rklein@imax.com
Principal Communications Group, Los Angeles
Melissa Zukerman/Paul Pflug
323-658-1555
melissa@pcommgroup.com
paul@pcommgroup.com
Investors:
IMAX Corporation - New York
Heather Anthony
212-821-0121
hanthony@imax.com
Business Media:
IMAX Corporation - New York
Ann Sommerlath
212-821-0155
asommerlath@imax.com
IMAX Corporation - Toronto
Jackson Myers
905-403-6414
jmyers@imax.com
Sloane & Company - New York
Whit Clay
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wclay@sloanepr.com