DreamWorks says ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ Has Strong IMAX Opening

IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) (TSX:IMX), DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq:DWA) and Paramount Pictures announced today that the international IMAX® 3D release of Kung Fu Panda 2 posted strong opening weekend results, generating approximately $1.6 million from 53 IMAX screens. The film’s IMAX per screen average was $30,188.

“These results continue to reflect the strong and growing appetite for The IMAX Experience® internationally, and the weekend demonstrates that with the right movie, our growing network delivers growing results for our studio partners,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “This result is particularly encouraging in China, our largest and fastest growing international market, where the film shared screen time 50/50 with another film, opened on Saturday instead of Friday, and still generated a very healthy per-screen average of over $33,000.”

“Our longtime partners at DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures International have delivered an exciting 3D sequel to this successful franchise that resonates well with our international audiences,” added Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “This weekend demonstrates how we are delivering on our commitment to providing a range of high-quality entertainment to our exhibition partners, and we’re looking forward to the rest of this run which will ultimately play on 42 additional IMAX screens internationally.”

Kung Fu Panda 2: An IMAX 3D Experience has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology for presentation in IMAX 3D. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique immersive environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.