Batman Takes Flight at Discovery Place in “The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience®”

The event film-of-the-year launches in the IMAX® Dome Theatre beginning Friday, July 18

July 08, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Moviegoers will line up around the block to get the hottest ticket in town when “The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience” opens in The Charlotte Observer IMAX® Dome Theatre at Discovery Place, Friday, July 18. The highly-anticipated, blockbuster film opens concurrently with the nationwide 35mm release from Warner Bros. Pictures.

The follow-up to the action hit “Batman Begins”, “The Dark Knight” reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne. In the new film, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets.

The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker (Heath Ledger).

“The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience” features six sequences filmed with IMAX cameras. This marks the first time ever that a major feature film has been even partially shot using IMAX cameras, marking a revolutionary integration of the two film formats.

“In continuing the story of such a great icon I’m thrilled to be able to expand the scope of the film, not just in terms of its story, but in giving Batman and the Joker the largest possible canvas on which to face off,” said director Christopher Nolan. “No existing technology compares with the IMAX format in terms of its ability to throw the audience into the action, and we’re very proud and excited to use this technology in a way that no one has before.”

Sequences shot in traditional 35mm are digitally re-mastered into The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR® technology. The two formats will be seamlessly integrated and morph between full IMAX and IMAX DMR. In other words, scenes shot in 35mm will appear in IMAX DMR (letterbox), while scenes shot with IMAX’s cameras on 15/70mm film will expand vertically to fill the entire IMAX screen, the largest movie screen in the Carolinas, for an all-encompassing IMAX experience.

The unique theatre geometry of an IMAX theatre combined with crystal clear, larger than life images and amazing digital surround-sound, creates an immersive environment that puts the audience right in the movie.

“The Dark Knight” also stars Michael Caine as Alfred; Heath Ledger as arch-villain The Joker; Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Aaron Eckhart as District Attorney Harvey Dent; Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes; and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

“The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience” runs from Friday, July 18 — Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008. Tickets to “The Dark Knight” are $11 for ages 14-59, $9 for ages 2-13 and 60+ and are free for children younger than 2. Group and Member discounts also are available. Visit discoveryplace.org or call 800-935-0553 for showtimes. Concessions, including popcorn, beverages and candy are available during movie showings.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film, “The Dark Knight”. Nolan directed the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan are the producers, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull serving as executive producers. “The Dark Knight” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane. The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Lee Smith and costume designer Lindy Hemming. The score was composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.

“The Dark Knight” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. This film is rated PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and some menace.” www.thedarkknight.com

About Discovery Place
Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the science center’s parking garage — the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex — at the corner of Sixth and Church streets. For more information about Discovery Place, guests should call 704- 372-6261 or visit discoveryplace.org.

One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation and second-most visited site among museums and historical attractions in North Carolina, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that foster experiences in areas that range from life science to marine biology. More than a half-million people from all over the United States visit Discovery Place, its IMAX® Dome Theatre and Charlotte Nature Museum each year. Discovery Place is supported, in part, with a Basic Operating Grant from the Arts & Science Council.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world’s leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in digital and film-based motion picture technologies. The worldwide IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event Hollywood films around the globe, with IMAX theatres delivering the world’s best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX 3D, and IMAX DMR technology.

IMAX DMR is the Company’s groundbreaking digital remastering technology that allows it to transform digitally virtually any conventional motion picture into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience. IMAX’s renowned projectors display crystal-clear images on the world’s biggest screens, and the IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive entertainment experiences for consumers. As of September 30, 2006, there were 280 IMAX theatres operating in 40 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, IMAX MPX® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information on the Company can be found at www.imax.com.

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