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FREE SOLO CLIMBS TO NEW HEIGHTS WITH SPECIAL ONE-WEEK IMAX® RELEASE NATIONWIDE AND IN CANADA, STARTING JAN. 11
Thu Dec 20 2018 23:00:00 GMT+0000 (UTC)

“Seeing Honnold at the peak of his skill on the biggest screen possible is an experience for everybody to savor.” – Kenny Turan, The Los Angeles Times

 “One of the most arresting documentaries of the year. See the film on as big a screen as possible.” – Richard Larson, Vanity Fair

(NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES – DEC. 20, 2018) — After setting the highest per screen average for a documentary in its opening weekend and grossing $11 million at the box office to date, FREE SOLO continues its momentous theatrical run with a special one-week-only engagement in select IMAX® theaters across the U.S. and in Canada, beginning Jan. 11, 2019. The news follows this week’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcement including FREE SOLO in the list of 15 documentaries that will advance in awards consideration.

From award-winning filmmaker E. Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned filmmaker, cinematographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin (MERU), FREE SOLO is a breathtaking portrait of the free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares for an unprecedented feat: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock ... the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park … without a rope.

Hailed by The New York Times as “an extraordinary gift to everyone who believes that the limit of human achievement is far from being reached,” the film has been honored with three Critics’ Choice awards, including Most Innovative Documentary of the Year and Best Cinematography, and has also received nominations for PGA, IDA and Cinema Eye Honors.

The IMAX release of FREE SOLO 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 theater geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

FREE SOLO is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a sublime portrait of an athlete who exceeds our understanding of human physical ability and mental potential. The result is a triumph of human spirit.

“IMAX’s differentiated, immersive theatres make audiences feel as though they are there with Alex in Yosemite National Park, climbing El Capitan, and we’re really pleased to be able to bring this incredible, historic story to fans so they can now experience it in IMAX,” said Craig Dehmel, Head of Distribution at IMAX Entertainment.

“The grandeur of El Capitan and the film’s breathtaking cinematography will be spectacular in IMAX,” said Courteney Monroe, President, National Geographic Global Networks and Documentary Films. “Audiences have been filling theaters for months, uniting together to cheer for Alex’s staggering achievement. We are so grateful to IMAX for providing audiences the opportunity to experience the scale and ambition of this film in IMAX theaters.”  

“When we were making this film, we could not have imagined the response we have received,” added directors Vasarhelyi and Chin. “To be able to share Alex’s story of courage in the immersive IMAX experience is something we’ve been working towards for over a year. It’s the ultimate reward for us, and offers filmgoers a chance to now see his historic and remarkable journey on the big IMAX screen.”  

FREE SOLO premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September and has since won Audience Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival and Mill Valley Film Festival.

FREE SOLO is currently playing in select theaters and will be released in select IMAX theaters beginning Jan. 11, 2019. Visit freesolofilm.com for showtimes, and find an IMAX theater near you at imax.com/theaters

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ABOUT IMAX Corporation 

IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As of September 30, 2018, there were 1,443 IMAX theatre systems (1,346 commercial multiplexes, 13 commercial destinations, 84 institutional) operating in 79 countries. On Oct. 8, 2015, shares of IMAX China, a subsidiary of IMAX Corp., began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAX nXos® 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). 

ABOUT National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information, visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on FacebookTwitterInstagramGoogle+, YouTubeLinkedIn and Pinterest.

Media Contacts:

Lauren Schwartz, Sunshine Sachs: 212.691.2800 schwartz@sunshinesachs.com

Erin Griffin, National Geographic: 202-316-9707, erin.griffin@natgeo.com

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