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THE HUNGER GAMES Opens March 23 In 289 IMAX Digital Theatres For Limited One-Week Engagement

By Michelle McCue | March 14, 2012

IMAX and Lionsgate today announced that The Hunger Games will be released in the immersive IMAX format on Friday, March 23, simultaneous with the film’s North American wide release. The film will open in 270 IMAX theatres domestically and 19 IMAX theatres in the UK and France.

“The countdown has begun and The Hunger Games fans have spoken. With two weeks to go, we have seen substantial midnight sellouts in IMAX theatres across the country leading exhibitors to begin offering 3 a.m. shows to meet demand,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “Given the phenomenon this film has become, we believe the one-week limitedIMAX engagement is a perfect way to fully experience the incredible world created by Suzanne Collins and brought to life by the talented cast, Gary Ross and Lionsgate team.”

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The Hunger Games: The IMAX Experience is the first installment of the trilogy based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novels and stars Academy-Award® nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. The film is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik.

The IMAX release of The Hunger Games will be 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.

Check http://www.imax.com/ for for final theatre listings, launch dates and showtimes.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, with a screenplay by Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, and produced byNina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 26 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following. It has spent more than 180 consecutive weeks/more than three consecutive years to date on The New York Times bestseller list since its publication in September 2008, and has also appeared consistently on USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.