MUMBAI, India, May 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation
(NYSE: IMAX) today announced that Arka Mediaworks' Baahubali 2:
The Conclusion, which was directed by S.S. Rajamouli, grossed
approximately $2.3 million during its
opening weekend in 66 select IMAX theatres across India, North
America, Australia, the
Middle East and Africa. In India, the film grossed $334,000 from 10 IMAX® theatres – making it the
highest-grossing IMAX opening weekend ever in the
market.
The film also had a strong performance in its limited run at the
North American box office this weekend – with IMAX generating
approximately $1.8 million from 45
IMAX theatres for a robust $40,000
per-screen-average. This marks IMAX's biggest domestic opening of a
foreign language film.
"We congratulate visionary director S.S. Rajamouli, Arka
Mediaworks and the entire Baahubali team for creating a
truly epic film that has not only broken IMAX records in
India, but has clearly resonated
with IMAX audiences worldwide- including a phenomenal performance
in its limited North American run," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and
Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "Today's results are a
clear indication that our local-language release and gap filling
strategies are working and we look forward to continuing to partner
with leading filmmakers like S.S. Rajamouli to bring the best in
Indian cinema to moviegoers around the globe."
"Both the Baahubali movies are designed to be a larger
than life experience and IMAX further enhances that experience,"
said the film's Producer, Shobu
Yarlagadda. "We are glad that our audience is loving the
IMAX version and that the IMAX version is doing extremely well at
the box office in its limited release."
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion marks the third Indian
local-language production to be released in IMAX, including the
previous record-breaking 2013 local-language release DHOOM 3.
The IMAX release of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was
digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX
Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (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 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
The long-awaited
second part to Baahubali: The Beginning—one of the top-grossing
Indian epic historical fantasy films of all time—Baahubali 2: The
Conclusion picks up again with our hero Shivudu (Prabhas) as he
comes to terms with his legacy and the responsibility placed on him
by this knowledge. Shivudu's quest aims to find the answer to the
question that's been plaguing fans of the franchise for years: Why
did Kattappa kill Baahubali?
About Arka Mediaworks
Arka Mediaworks, a Production
House based out of Hyderabad, is a
leading name in motion picture production, television programming
and syndication and digital content distribution. Since its
inception in 2001, Arka Mediaworks has produced several television
shows across various languages and channels. It has produced
numerous commercially successful and critically acclaimed Indian
films.
Arka Mediaworks produced Baahubali, a two-film Indian epic and
India's first tentpole franchise
conceptualized and created by acclaimed director S.S. Rajamouli. As
part of this franchise, Arka Mediaworks is also working on creating
a state of the art Virtual Reality experience, novel, graphic
novels and an animated series.
The first film—Baahubali: The Beginning—is the highest-grossing
film in India and the
third-highest grossing Indian film globally, winning the National
Award for Best Feature Film in 2015. The second part—Baahubali 2:
The Conclusion—is slated for an April
2017 release.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in
entertainment technology, combines proprietary software,
architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you
beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top
filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with
audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is
among the most important and successful theatrical distribution
platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New
York, Toronto and
Los Angeles, with offices in
London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March
31, 2017, there were 1,226 IMAX theaters (1,121 commercial
multiplexes, 14 commercial destinations and 91 institutions) in 75
countries. On Oct. 8, 2015, shares of
IMAX China, a subsidiary of IMAX Corp., began trading on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D
Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAX
nXos®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).
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. These 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.
For additional information please contact:
Business
Media:
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Investors:
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IMAX
Corporation – New
York
|
IMAX
Corporation – New York
|
Ann
Sommerlath
|
Jessica
Kourakos
|
212-821-0155
|
212-821-0110
|
asommerlath@imax.com
|
jkourakos@imax.com
|
|
|
Sloane &
Company– New
York
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Entertainment
Media:
|
Whit
Clay
|
Principal
Communications Group – Los Angeles
|
212-446-1864
|
Melissa
Zuckerman/Paul Pflug
|
wclay@sloanepr.com
|
323-658-1555
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melissa@pcommgroup.com
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SOURCE IMAX Corporation