Epic Martial Arts Tale is First-Ever 3D Chinese-Language Feature Film Presented in IMAX® 3D Format
BEIJING, Dec. 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bona Film Group Limited ("Bona" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:BONA), a leading film distributor in China, today announced that it has commenced nationwide release of its 3D martial arts motion picture Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, including on 61 digital IMAX® screens across China. Throughout its theatrical run, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate will be the only native Chinese film playing on the IMAX network.
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate: An IMAX 3D Experience is also the first-ever Chinese-language feature production to be released in IMAX 3D. The film reunites renowned director Tsui Hark with his Once Upon a Time in China leading man, Jet Li, and also stars Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen Kun, Kwai Lun-Mei, Li Yuchun and Fan Xiaoxuan.
"As the first 3D Chinese feature film, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate represents an important milestone in the Chinese film industry," said Bona Founder, Chairman and CEO Yu Dong. "We have performed well at the domestic box office so far this year, and we are looking forward to entering 2012 with another blockbuster. We are proud to partner with IMAX to present a stunning cinematic experience that will transport fans into the intensity and action of Tsui Hark's epic martial arts tale."
Mr. Yu continued, "Our 65% investment stake grants us full future copyrights of the film, which will be a strong addition to our growing film library and provide us with the opportunity for additional revenue. There is even the possibility of building on the franchise value of the film to produce a 40-episode TV drama in the same way we are developing a TV spin-off of our 2010 blockbuster Bodyguards and Assassins."
"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate is a great culmination of our 2011 film slate and we could not think of a better way to end the year than with this powerful film," said Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "As our theatre network in China continues to grow, so does the demand for local-language films to be presented in IMAX. Today, we are delighted to join forces with Bona Film Group and offer Chinese moviegoers what they want, the best in Chinese film in the most immersive format available."
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate: An IMAX 3D Experience will be digitally remastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Remastering) 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."
About Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
Chow Wai-On, a Ming Dynasty general played by Jet Li, finds himself at odds with Yu Hua-Tian (Aloys Chen Kun), an evil, power-hungry eunuch. Eventually, these two adversaries cross paths with Lin Yan-Qiu (Zhou Xun) at the titular Dragon Gate Inn, a remote outpost in the desert at the very frontier of the kingdom.
About Bona Film Group Limited
Bona Film Group Limited (Nasdaq:BONA) is a leading film distributor in China, with an integrated business model encompassing film distribution, film production, film exhibition and talent representation. Bona distributes films to Europe, Greater China, Korea, Southeast Asia and the United States, invests and produces movies in a variety of genres, owns and operates seventeen movie theaters and manages a range of talented and popular Chinese artists.
For more information about Bona, please visit http://www.bonafilm.cn.
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About IMAX China
IMAX (Shanghai) Multimedia Technology Co., Ltd. (IMAX China) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, and is formed under the laws of the People's Republic of China. IMAX China was established by IMAX Corporation specifically to oversee the expansion of IMAX's business throughout Greater China.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment and technology companies, specializing in the creation and delivery of premium, awe-inspiring entertainment experiences. With a growing suite of cutting-edge motion picture and sound technologies, and a globally recognized entertainment brand, IMAX is singularly situated at the convergence of the entertainment industry, innovation and the digital media world. The industry's top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and as such, the IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe. The Company's new digital projection and sound systems - combined with a growing blockbuster film slate - are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network in established markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging markets such as China and Russia. IMAX theaters deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX(R), IMAX 3D(R), and IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R).
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo and Shanghai. As of June 30, 2011, there were 560 IMAX theatres (417 commercial multiplex, 25 commercial destination and 118 institutional) operating in 46 countries.
IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX DMR(R), Experience It In IMAX(R), An IMAX 3D Experience(R) and The IMAX Experience(R) 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).
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