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Where the Wild Things Are Posts Strong Opening Weekend in IMAX Theatres

Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq:IMAX) (TSX: IMX) today announced that Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) and produced by Playtone (Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman), opened with strong box office results, generating approximately $3.1 million from 145 IMAX(R) theatres domestically during the opening weekend from Friday, October 16, 2009 through Sunday, October 18.

Press Release from IMAX Corp.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq:IMAX) (TSX: IMX) today announced that Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) and produced by Playtone (Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman), opened with strong box office results, generating approximately $3.1 million from 145 IMAX(R) theatres domestically during the opening weekend from Friday, October 16, 2009 through Sunday, October 18. The IMAX release generated over 9% of the film's overall box office of $32.7 million, with an IMAX per screen average of $21,500. The weekend marks the biggest fall opening ever for an IMAX release.

Where the Wild Things Are, which chronicles the timeless adventures of a young boy's imaginary journey to a land of "Wild Things," 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.

Where the Wild Things Are is based on the classic book by Maurice Sendak. Winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal for "Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year," the popular adventure tale continues to captivate audiences of every generation after four decades.

"We're delighted with the initial response to the film overall, and we're happy that fans of such a beloved adventure are taking advantage of the chance to experience it in IMAX," said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. "The picture looks and sounds amazing in IMAX, and we believe this enhanced release will continue to perform well during the days and weeks ahead."

"The growing IMAX theatre network has given us more programming flexibility, enabling us to offer IMAX DMR titles twelve months a year, and because of this we have been able to offer this great film and post our biggest fall opening ever," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "This strong performance demonstrates that consumers continue to seek out IMAX as a premium out of home experience in both 2D and 3D."

"We couldn't be happier with this very healthy opening," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "Spike Jonze, Playtone and Warner Bros. have crafted a magical film that fits perfectly with our goal to provide moviegoers with an out-of-this-world experience they cannot get anywhere else, and clearly the film is resonating with people."

From director Spike Jonze and written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers (Away We Go) comes a cinematic twist on one of the most acclaimed adventure stories of all time. Where the Wild Things Are features Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Max Records, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper and Catherine O'Hara. Where the Wild Things Are is a co-production with Legendary Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.

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