M:I 4 sets $46 mil. IMAX Protocol

January 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” has grossed $46.1 million in IMAX theatres worldwide through Monday, Jan. 2, since the film got a five-day jump on traditional theaters.

IMAX Corp. and Paramount Pictures today announced that the film has generated approximately $33.1 mil. domestically and $13 mil. overseas in IMAX theatres, or nearly 13% of the overall gross of $367 million worldwide for the most popular film of the holiday season.

Over the four-day New Year’s weekend, the movie generated $6.1 mil domestically in IMAX theatres and $2.7 mil. internationally.

“With ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ leading the box office this holiday season, it is clear that movie-goers responded very favorably to the IMAX early engagement strategy,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.

“We believe the film’s success demonstrates how IMAX is bringing ‘must-see’ back to movie-going,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

IMAX worldwide gross box office for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011 was approximately $98 million ($54.3 million domestically and $43.7 million internationally).

The IMAX release of this fourth installment of Mission: Impossible features 27-minutes of scenes filmed with IMAX cameras. Exclusively in IMAX, these sequences expand to fill the entire screen.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: IMAX news

Record opening for IMAX “M:I Ghost”

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

IMAX enjoyed a record December opening weekend of $11 mil. with nearly exclusive showings of Paramount’s  “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” in 300 IMAX theaters.
That’s a per-screen average of $37,000 per theater, no doubt helped by an exclusive world premiere six-minute teaser intro scene from “Dark Knight Rises” in 42 select locations from the same filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, who helped pioneer the integration of full-scale IMAX scenes into standard-format movies with his “Dark Knight.”
After running in only 125 traditional theaters since the movie opened on IMAX screens on Dec. 16, the fourth episode in the Tom Cruise franchise opens wide in all theaters Dec. 21.

Also debuting Wednesday, Dec. 21, is Steven Spielberg’s motion-capture “The Adventures of Tintin,” in both IMAX and 3D.

– By Scott Hettrick

 

Filed Under: IMAX news

Real Steel real deal at IMAX

October 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

“Real Steel” may be susceptible to criticisms of a sappy story that borrows from every Rocky-type movie from “Karate Kid,” “The Champ,” and “Iron Giant,” to several installments in the Rocky series itself, but that didn’t make the formula any less appealing to a new generation of young boys and their fathers this past weekend, especially at IMAX theaters.

The DreamWorks Pictures release distributed by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures was not only far and away the #1 movie of the weekend with $27.3 million in the U.S., it also pummeled its way to $3.2 mil. on 270 IMAX screens, according to IMAX, which is more than 12% of the overall domestic gross and, according to Hollywood.com Box Office, a September/October record at IMAX theaters.

The movie, set about 15 years in the future and featuring an irresponsible  father (Hugh Jackman) and his estranged but precocious son (Dakota Goyo) struggling to build a new relationship while building a robot that becomes an unlikely champion of bot boxing, generated a total of $4.4 mil. at IMAX theaters worldwide, including $1.2 mil. in 62 IMAX screens overseas where the movie grossed $22.1 mil.

Greg Foster, IMAX Chairman and President of Filmed Entertainment, said the forecast for the movie is especially strong since it has yet to open on nearly half of the overseas IMAX screens.

The script is way too precious, the movie way too long at well over two hours, there are way too many blatant product placements, and Goyo is nearly as melodramatic as Ricky Shroder was in the 1979 “The Champ,” but it’s clear why this movie appeals to that target demo, and Jackman and the robot action are both enough fun to keep parents and less discriminating audiences entertained.
And, of course, all of the large-scale boxing action looks even better on the large-format IMAX screen.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ 3D “Dolphin Tale” also appealed to the family audience with another $9.1 mil. as it swims towards $50 mil. in U.S. theaters.

Still another family film, this one also in 3D, “The Lion King,” clawed its way to another $4.6 mil. even after the release of the Blu-ray 3D version of the movie this week, roaring to a total of $86 mil.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: IMAX news, IMAXout

John Carter goes to IMAX March 9

August 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Disney’s highly-anticipated action-adventure 3D movie “John Carter” will open simultaneously in IMAX theaters with others in March 9, IMAX Corporation and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures announced today (Aug. 8).

Academy(R) Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton is directing the movie based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs and starring Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe and Lynn Collins.
The story is set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and tells the story of war-weary former military captain who is inexplicably transported to Mars, where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions among the inhabitants of the planet in a world on the brink of collapse.

“Andrew Stanton has envisioned this vast landscape in a way that’s not been seen before, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our viewers this film in the immersive IMAX 3D format,” said Dave Hollis, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Exhibition Sales and Distribution, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.”

“John Carter is a great addition to our 2012 film slate and is sure to resonate with our key demographic,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: IMAX news

Potter goes to China via IMAX 3D

August 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” will be released nationwide in China tomorrow, Aug. 4, in 26 IMAX 3D theaters, it was announced today by IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures.

Since its launch in the rest of the world on July 13, “Deathly Hallows – Part 2″ has grossed $51.5 million globally in IMAX theatres through Sunday, July 31. The film surpassed opening weekend IMAX box office records globally by generating $23.2 mil. of its record-setting estimated worldwide gross of more than $481 million, for an IMAX per-screen average of $59,000.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: IMAX news

Captain rules west; Transformers IMAX east

July 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Paramount’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” became the third 3D movie in a row to dominate the domestic box-office with an opening of $65.8 million topping the second week of last weekend’s record-setting “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″ from Warner Bros., which had a soft sophomore landing of $48 mil.

Meanwhile, Paramount’s previous 3D summer blockbuster “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon,” which added another $12 mil. in North America, scored big on the most-ever IMAX screens in China with an opening launch record for a U.S. movie in that country with $3.7 mil. on 31 screens over the four-day opening.
That brings the total IMAX global gross to date to $45.5 million for “Transformers 3,” which opens in IMAX theaters in Japan this weekend as it approaches nearly $900 mil. overall.
“By year-end, we anticipate having 85 theatres operating in Greater China, more than double the 40 theatres we had open at the end of 2010.” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.

Back in North America, “Potter” generated another $5.5 mil. in IMAX theaters for a total of nearly $275 million after just 10 days of release.

Up next in 3D is Sony’s “The Smurfs” this weekend.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D news, IMAX news

Soderbergh’s “Contagion” to IMAX 9/9

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Director Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Contagion” from Warner Bros. Pictures will be released in IMAX theaters simultaneously worldwide on September 9, IMAX announced today.
“Contagion” follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.

The movie stars Academy Award winners Marion Cotillard (“Inception”), Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet; Oscar nominees Laurence Fishburne and Jude Law; as well as Bryan Cranston and Sanaa Lathan.

Filed Under: IMAX news

Transformers 3D in record IMAX China

July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

IMAX Corp. will release Paramount Pictures’ “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” in 3D on the most IMAX screens in China ever (31) on Thursday (July 21).
The movie has grossed $41.1 million globally in IMAX theatres in other countries.
IMAX China is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IMAX Corp and is incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong. It was established by IMAX specifically to oversee the expansion of IMAX’s business throughout Greater China.
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon: An IMAX 3D Experience,” is scheduled to play at the following IMAX 3D theatres beginning Thursday, July 21:
China
Beijing
Beijing CBD Wanda IMAX Theatre
Beijing Shijingshan Wanda IMAX Theatre
Beijing UME Huaxing IMAX Theatre
China National Film Museum
China Science & Technology Museum
Changchun
Changchun Wanda IMAX Theatre
Changsha
Changsha Wanda IMAX Theatre
Chongqing
Chongqing Science and Technology Museum
Lumiere Chongqing Jinyuan Mall IMAX Theatre
Dongguan
DongguanWanda IMAX Theatre
Fuzhou
Fuzhou Financial Street Wanda IMAX Theatre
Guangzhou
Guangdong Science Centre
Guangzhou Wanda IMAX Theatre
Hangzhou
Hangzhou Broadway MixC Mall IMAX Theatre
Hangzhou Cinyo IMAX Theatre Hefei
Hefei Wanda IMAX Theatre
Jinan
Jinan Wanda IMAX Theatre
Kunming
Kunming Broadway IMAX Theatre
Nanjing
Nanjing Jianye Wanda IMAX Theatre
Ningbo
Ningbo Yinzhou Wanda IMAX Theatre
Qingdao
Qingdao Wanda IMAX Theatre
Shanghai
Shanghai Jiangqiao Wanda IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Peace IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Stellar Super Brand
Mall IMAX Theatre
Shanghai Wujiaochang Wanda IMAX Theatre
Shenzhen
Shenzhen UA KK Mall IMAX Theatre
Suzhou
Suzhou Science & Cultural Arts Center IMAX Theatre
Tianjin China Film Tianjin IMAX Theatre
Wuhan
Wuhan Studio City IMAX Theatre
Wuxi
Wuxi Big World IMAX Theatre
Xi’an, Shaanxi
Daming PalaceRelicsPark

Filed Under: IMAX news

IMAX, 3D cast Potter record spells

July 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

IMAX and 3D carried the concluding installment, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2,” to record-breaking opening box-office grosses in nearly every market in the world except China, which will be joining soon.
The record IMAX opening alone of $23.2 million globally ($59,000 per-screen) contributed significantly to the biggest-ever cumulative global gross of more than $481 million, nearly half of which can likely be attributed to 3D showings of the movie.

In the U.S., IMAX’s contribution was even bigger with another record $15.2 mil. of the Warner Bros. Pictures film’s highest-ever $169.2 mil. total box office, or approximately $55,500 per IMAX screen.
“Deathly Hallows Part 2″ also set a mark as the broadest 3D launch ever with 3,100-plus locations, including 274 in IMAX. About 43% of all ticket sales were from 3D, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

“This does not even include China, where the film will be released on Aug 4 and experienced on an additional 26 IMAX screens,” said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President Distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures International. “Our partnership with IMAX has proven itself time and time again, and we look forward to a long run for this amazing and final film of the franchise.”

“With sellouts all weekend and IMAX fans coming out in record numbers to see the highly anticipated conclusion of this global blockbuster, the only way we could have done better would have been to have more seats,” said Richard L. Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “Thankfully, as our network continues to expand, higher capacity is in our future.”

“IMAX is honored to be a part of the magical conclusion of this storied franchise, which we expect to play in our theatres for many weeks to come,” said Greg Foster, IMAX Chairman and President of Filmed Entertainment.

“It has always been a priority for us to be able to offer audiences – especially loyal Harry Potter fans – the most spectacular movie-going experience possible, and IMAX provides an incredible means of delivering the goods with this final installment of the beloved franchise,” said Dan Fellman, President of Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.”

Meanwhile, two of the other top five films of the weekend were also in 3D.
Paramount’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” finished second in its third weekend with another $21.25 mil. to reach $761 mil. worldwide and become the first film released in 2011 to cross the $300 mil. mark at the domestic box office.
And Disney/Pixar’s “Cars 2″ collected another $8.3 mil. to cross the $300 mil. mark globally with $312 mil. worldwide and $165 mil. domestically.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D news, IMAX news

Transforming 3D with $181 mil.

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The 3D and IMAX “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” set a new 4th-of-July week box office record $181.125 million in North America since its debut last Tuesday night at 9 p.m., and , according to Hollywood.com Box Office.
Records were also set for the July 4th weekend with $97.5 million Friday through Sunday, and $116.4 million for Friday through Monday (beating “Spider-Man 2″ and its $88.2M and $115.8M July 4th records).

A strong 60% of that revenue came from 3D showings of the Paramount Pictures release (the 3D element received strong critical praise), with another $14 million coming from IMAX showings domestically.

Worldwide, “Transformers 3″ racked up $379 million, $217 mil of which came from international territories.
IMAX set a new global record with $22.5 mil. worldwide, $8.75 mil. from overseas.

Meanwhile, the 3D “Cars 2″ was a distant second with $32 mil. for the four-day weekend, for a total two-weekend take of $120 million in North America and $207.5 mil. worldwide.

– By Scott Hettrick

Filed Under: 3D news, IMAX news
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