WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Astronauts, Academy Award® nominee Tom Cruise, U.S. Members of Congress, Lockheed Martin executives, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, IMAX filmmakers and other special guests will walk down the red carpet at the National Air and Space Museum on Wednesday evening to attend the world premiere of SPACE STATION 3D -- the first-ever IMAX® 3D space film, presented by Lockheed Martin. SPACE STATION, has commitments from more than 100 IMAX theatres making it the widest release in the Company's history. The film will initially open at 24 theatres in North America on April 19, rolling out worldwide into 14 countries thereafter.

``We are very excited by the enthusiasm SPACE STATION is generating in the IMAX theatre network,'' said IMAX co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. ``Only a handful of highly skilled individuals will ever actually travel to space but the astronauts and cosmonauts involved in this project have told us that only IMAX captures their experience and recreates the excitement and awe that they have felt in this unique environment. We believe that this ground-breaking film will inspire generations of students to focus on the next frontier and enable millions of people to experience space.''

The Washington premiere event celebrates the launch of SPACE STATION, which chronicles the most ambitious construction project in our history, the building of the International Space Station. Hosting tonight's gala will be Lawrence Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; General John R. Dailey, Director of the National Air and Space Museum; Sean O'Keefe, Administrator, NASA; Dr. Vance D. Coffman, CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation; and Richard Gelfond and Bradley Wechsler, Co-CEOS of IMAX Corporation (IMAX). Representing their ISS colleagues will be U.S. astronauts Robert Curbeam, Brian Duffy, Susan Helms, Marsha Ivins, and James Voss; Italian Astronaut Umberto Guidoni, representing the European Space Agency; and Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata.

Academy-Award® nominee Tom Cruise, who narrated SPACE STATION 3D, is one of the world's true movie stars, having acted and/or produced more than 30 films including: Risky Business, Top Gun, The Color of Money and Rain Man. He received his first Oscar® nomination for Born on the Fourth of July and has gone on to star in A Few Good Men, The Firm, The Mission Impossible series, and Jerry Maguire, for which he received his second nomination. After working on Stanley Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut, he earned his third nomination for his work in Magnolia. Most recently, he starred for Cameron Crowe in Vanilla Sky and this spring teams with Steven Spielberg in Minority Report.

SPACE STATION, produced by IMAX Corporation (IMAX), in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and presented by Lockheed Martin Corporation, crowns a nearly 20-year partnership that has entertained and educated more than 70 million people each year about achievements in space. Previous films include: The Dream Is Alive (1985), Blue Planet (1990), Destiny In Space (1994) and Mission To Mir (1997) -- all produced, directed and written by Toni Myers.

About IMAX Corporation

Founded in 1967, IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies. IMAX's businesses include the world's best cinematic presentations together with IMAX, IMAX 3D and the development of the highest quality digital production and presentation. The IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive family experiences. As of December 2001, there were more than 225 IMAX theatres operating in 30 countries. More than 700 million people have seen an IMAX presentation since the medium premiered in 1970. IMAX Corporation is a publicly traded company listed on both the Toronto and Nasdaq stock exchanges. IMAX® is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation. More information on the Company can be found at http://www.imax.com.

About Lockheed Martin Corporation (http://www.lockheedmartin.com) Through its various business programs and services, Lockheed Martin and its heritage companies have supported America's space program from its inception. From the earliest days of rocketry to the recent and continuing missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station, to continued interplanetary exploration, Lockheed Martin's team of scientists, engineers and support personnel are committed to furthering our knowledge of this planet and beyond. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. Employing about 125,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales of $24 billion.