IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the highly anticipated film 300, a Mark Canton/Gianni Nunnari Production directed by Zack Snyder and based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, will be simultaneously released domestically to both IMAX® and conventional theatres on March 9, 2007. The film will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® and Warner Bros. Pictures will be the exclusive distributor of the film.
"Warner Bros. Pictures and the filmmakers are very excited to bring this unique cinematic experience to both conventional and IMAX theatres this spring," said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. "The immersive IMAX Experience will transform this film, offering audiences an alternative way to view this highly-charged picture."
"300 is an exciting event film which includes many aspects that we believe will appeal to commercial audiences," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "As a great partner to IMAX, Warner Bros. Pictures has provided many fantastic films that have resulted in significant incremental box office revenue for IMAX exhibitors, and we look forward to continuing this tradition."
"We are delighted that 300 will be the first feature motion picture to open in IMAX theatres in 2007," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "Audiences that experience 300 in IMAX's immersive format will feel as if they were actually with the Spartans as this larger-than-life epic story unfolds."
Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, "300" is a ferocious retelling of the ancient battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Bulter) and 300 Spartans fought to death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller's (Sin City) acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Legendary Pictures and Virtual Studios, a Mark Canton/Gianni Nunnari Production, "300". Directed by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead), the film stars Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera), Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm), David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Dominic West (The Forgotten).