Journey 2: The Mysterious Island An IMAX 3D Experience

Contact: Ronald Collantes

IMAX SM Mall of Asia                

Tel. 556-4629

Fax: 556-0547

                                                                                                      

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island An IMAX 3D Experience

Opens FEBRUARY 2, 2011 at all SM Cinema IMAX Theatres

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the IMAX 3D family adventure follow-up to the 2008 box office hit Journey to the Center of the Earth, opens February 2, 2012 at IMAX SM Mall of Asia. Join returning star Josh Hutcherson and a new cast led by Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzmán and Kristin Davis on this action-packed  quest in IMAX 3D when tickets go on sale on January 11, 2012.

The IMAX release of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D 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.

About Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

This new IMAX 3D family adventure begins when daring young explorer Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. It’s a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. 

Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzmán) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is directed by Brad Peyton ("Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore").   The film is produced by Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson, and Charlotte Huggins, from a screenplay by Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn, story by Richard Outten and Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn. Serving as executive producers are Richard Brener, Michael Disco, Samuel J. Brown, Marcus Viscidi, Michael Bostick and Evan Turner. David Tattersall ("Gulliver’s Travels") is the director of photography; Bill Boes ("Fantastic Four"), the production designer; David Rennie, the editor; Denise Wingate ("Wedding Crashers"), the costume designer; and Academy Award© nominee Boyd Shermis ("Poseidon"), the visual effects supervisor.  The music is composed by Andrew Lockington.

“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is a New Line Cinema presentation of a Contrafilm production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

www.themysteriousisland.com

IMAX SM Mall of Asia is located at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.  For information on tickets and showtimes, please call 470-2222 or visit the website at www.smcinema.com/IMAX.

About IMAX SM Mall of Asia

More information about the Company can be found at www.smcinema.com and www.imax.com.  You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imaxsmcinema), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax_smcinema) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

SM Cinema’ s 1st Bigshot Film Festival

SM Cinema, in its continuing efforts to champion the advancement of film literacy in the country and to promote Philippine cinema as a vehicle of cultural identity, spearheaded project Bigshot – SM Cinema’s Search for Student Filmmakers. Garnering over 50 script-entries on the theme “Modern Day Heroism” from various schools nationwide, Bigshot officially kicked off last December 2, 2010 with the announcement of the Top 15 student-finalists at The Podium.Then on December 15, 2010 at the Director’s Club, SM MOA, the Top 3 Bigshots from the 15 finalists were named: Archie Dimaculangan of UP –Diliman for his entry “Balang Araw”, Bianca Catbagan and Jose Antonio De Rivera, both from UP – Diliman, for “Suntok Sa Buwan” and Krizzie Syfu of DLSU for “Tahanan”.

SM Cinema together with The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and three of the most respected film practitioners in the country: Mr. Raymond Lee, writer-producer of award-winning films such as Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington and Anak; two-time Palanca awardee and award-winning director Mr.Mark Meily and film historian and director of Center for New Cinema Mr.Nick Deocampo screened and chose the top student film makers. As a prize for coming up with the best script-entries, the Top 3 Bigshots were awarded a generous P600,000 which aided them in producing a full-length piece.

This January 2012, SM Cinema will officially launch the 1^st Bigshot Film Festival.  A press conference scheduled to happen on January 17, 2011 at the SM Mall of Asia shall be followed by film screenings from January 25 to 31 at the following SM Malls: SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, SM Manila and SM Cebu.

Furthermore, in its efforts to engage students and young cinephiles in supporting up-and-coming young filmmakers in the local independent film industry and to promote film literacy among the youth, SM Cinema is offering students a special discounted rate of only P50.00 per Bigshot movie ticket. Also, from January 9 to 23, 2012, lucky moviegoers who purchase a Bigshot movie ticket have a chance to win exciting prizes, from Flip videos to mobile phones.

To know more about the 1^st Bigshot Film Festival, the Top 3 Bigshots and their respective winning films, please visit www.smcinema.com

SM Cinema hosts Solar Entertainment-United International Pictures’ Roadshow for 2012 Movies

Solar Entertainment and United International Pictures held a roadshow event on December 12, at The Podium in OrtigasCenter.  The event was attended by several Solar Entertainment officials.  Mr. Wilson Tieng, president of Solar Entertainment, took the opportunity to thank the guests for helping make some films distributed by Solar Entertainment-UIP a huge success, with Transformers: Dark of the Moon becoming the Philippines’ 2^nd biggest film of all time and Kung Fu Panda 2, the highest-selling animation film of 2011 and of all time.

Invited guests were able to get a peek of the upcoming movies this 2012. New action adventure and fantasy films will dominate the screens this coming year. Some of our beloved characters will also make a comeback.

Your adrenalin will rush as Battleship hits the big screen in April 2012. This action-adventure film, which is inspired by a classic naval combat game, revolves around the earth’s fight for survival against an unknown and a much superior force. The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna. Battleship is directed by Peter Berg.

Jeremy Renner of Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol will cast aside its Agent Brandt mask and will appear as Aaron Cross in “The Bourne Legacy”. The film is a spin-offof the Jason Bourne series. It is directed by Tony Gilroy. The cast also includes Edward Norton, Joan Allen, Rachel Weisz, Albert Finney and Oscar Isaac. The movie will be screened in August. 


In February, brace yourself as you watch a CIA agent goes on the run with a fugitive in Safe House. The film stars Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds and Robert Patrick. It is directed by Daniel Espinosa.  


Turn back the hands of time and visit the 18^th century Japan for a couple of hours by watching Japan’s famous legend unfolds on screen in 47  Ronin.    The movie is about a band of leaderless samurai (ronin) on their way to avenge their master. 47 Ronin is directed by Carl Rinsch and stars Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, and KôShibasaki. 

                                                          

Viewers will surely have a great time as they watch their much-loved fairytale takes a gothic course in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Jeremy Renner and GemmaArterton will star as siblings who are on a dangerous witch-hunting adventure. The film is directed by Tommy Wirkola and will be screened in March.  

The producers of Alice in Wonderland and The Sixth Sense present another exciting film that will surely excite moviegoers. Snow White and the Huntsman is a radical reinterpretation of the classic fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film is directed by Rupert Sanders and stars Kristen Stewart (Twilight), CharlizeTheron (Hancock), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides). Snow White and the Huntsmanopens in June.

This April, laugh your heart out as the sexy comedy American Pie comes back with hotter and funnier antics in American Pie: Reunion. In this American Piesequel  Jim, Michelle, Stifler and their friends reunite for their high school reunion. 

 
 A new set of adventures awaits kids and adults alike as Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe return in the animated film Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. In this movie Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman joined a traveling circus in order to get back home. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted features the voices of Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith and Chris Rock, and opens in June 2012.

 In March 2012, witness Dr. Seuss’ imagination comes to life in the animation The Lorax. This 3D-CGI animated adventure revolves around a 12-year-old boy who sets on a journey to discover the story of the Lorax in order to win the love of his dream-girl. The voice cast includes ZacEfron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito, and more.

The stop-motion 3D fantasy/horror film Coraline charmed children and adult in 2009. The same company that made Coraline possible has worked on a new stop-motion film that will be screened in August 2012. ParaNorman is based on the story by Chris Butler, about a boy who can speak with the dead and has to use his paranormal ability to save his town from a horde of zombies. The film features the voices of KodiSmit-Mcphee, Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Tempestt Bledsoe, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Bernard Hill, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Elaine Stritch. This film directed by Sam Fell, the director of The Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away.

Enjoy next year’s blockbusters at SM Cinema branches nationwide. With its state-of-the-art screen and wrap-around sound technology, SM Cinema can give you an immersive film viewing experience. SM Cinema’s digital theaters and IMAX lets you lose yourself in the movies you are watching.

Add us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/smcinema), follow us on Twitter (@SM_Cinema) and get the chance to be invited to our very exclusive Red Carpet Premieres and Advance Screenings.

SM Cinema at CineAsia 2011

In reaching its goal to push cinema technology to a new level, SM Cinema participated in CineAsia 2011 which took place in Hong Kong on December 6 to 8, 2011. This year, it was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).The delegates included film industry executives and exhibitors from the different regions of Asia, including Edgar C. Tejerero, senior VP of SM Cinema and Christiana N. Caparas, SM Cinema’s business unit head for cinema and exhibition. Twenty percent of the total number of delegates came from China according to Robert Sunshine, the managing director of CineAsia.  The event was also graced by many digital technology innovators from the West.  The number of the representatives increased by 20% this year.

CineAsia is an annual convention and trade show with the goal of bringing together film distributors, exhibitors, and technology innovators for the advancement of the film industry. CineAsia 2011 focused on anti-film piracy and 3D technology.

The event included a series of seminars, exhibition and trade show.  Some of Asia’s leading exhibitors shared their best practices. There was also a discussion on ways to increase revenue by showing alternative content, such as live sporting or concert events.

The activities commenced with a praiseworthy story of the exhibition industry in the Philippines and how it is leading the Southeast Asian film market through its anti-piracy legislation law and amusement tax reduction.

According to Edgar C. Tejerero, the strict piracy law in the country and the reduction of amusement tax from 30% to 10% is a boost to the country’s film industry. He also said that converting the theaters to digital also has a lot of benefits. Tejerero further said that they chose to convert all their screens to digital. “It gives us bigger box office, more usage for cinemas and screens -- pay per view, sports and entertainment, educational content such as film literacy program. And we hope we can encourage local movie industries to produce more", Tejerero said. Moreover, he said that ‘rapid’ digitization is essential because we’re already late.

Film piracy is still considered as the biggest challenge faced by the Asian market. According to Brian Dunn, the CEO of the leading company in anti-piracy technology PirateEye, the International Film exhibition earns $40 billion per year, but loses $3 to $5 billion because of film piracy. Dunn also discussed the dangers that social media like Facebook can do. “An ordinary person can do as much damage to a film by uploading contents to his or her Facebook page”, Dunn said.  This year’s CineAsia endeavoredto address this problem. The delegates had an extensive discussion on the prevention of film thefts in theaters.

Aside from anti-film piracy, CineAsia 2011 also highlighted the advancements in 3D technology. The International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) organized a special seminar that focused on screen selection, digital update, and 3D capture.

Leading innovators in cinema technology showcased their latest developments. Christie, a provider of projection displays and visual applications, presented its high frame rate enhancements. High frame rate technology is forecasted to enable the film industry make a big leap forward by bringing an ultrarealistic viewing experience to the audience. Another noteworthy presentation came from Barco with a focus on its revolutionary sound system.

The delegates were able to take a peek at the movies that will be shown this upcoming year through the product presentations made by Sony Pictures Releasing International, 20th Century Fox International, United International Pictures, Paramount Pictures International, Universal Pictures International, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International and Warner Bros. Pictures International.

SM Cinema aims to keep pace with the global trends in movie theater technology. By participating in CineAsia and other conventions, SM Cinema hopes to find new ways to constantly deliver exceptional movie-going experience to its patrons.