CUPERTINO, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes(R) Store (http://www.itunes.com) on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod(R) with video, iPhone(TM), Mac(R) or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV(R), with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.

     “We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

     New releases available for purchase on the iTunes Store this week, concurrent with their DVD release, include “American Gangster” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Other popular titles now available for purchase include “Juno,” “Cloverfield,” “I Am Legend,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”

     The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over six million songs, 600 TV shows and over 1,500 films including 200 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as new iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

     Pricing & Availability

     Movie purchases and rentals from the iTunes Store for Mac or Windows require iTunes 7.6.2, available as a free download immediately from http://www.itunes.com. iTunes movie purchases and rentals require a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. iTunes Movies are available in the US only and are $9.99 (US) for library title purchases and $14.99 (US) for new release purchases and $2.99 (US) for library title rentals and $3.99 (US) for new release rentals, and high definition rental versions are priced just one dollar more with library title rentals at $3.99 (US) and new release rentals at $4.99 (US). Short films are available to rent for 99 cents (US). Movies can be previewed, purchased and watched on iPod classic, iPod nano with video, iPod touch, iPhone and on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.

     Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

     (C) 2008 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iTunes, iPod, iPhone and Apple TV are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

  LOS ANGELES, April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that they have crossed the $400 million mark at the IMAX box office with films released through the partnership between the two companies. Since June 2003, Warner Bros. Pictures has released 16 movie titles in IMAX’s format, five of which were in IMAX(R) 3D, including two live action pictures that were partially converted into 3D with IMAX’s proprietary 2D to 3D conversion technology. All titles were digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R) using IMAX’s proprietary IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-Mastering) technology. Also included in the tally are the studio’s two original IMAX 3D co-productions.

     “Our successful partnership with IMAX has helped to shape an entirely new distribution window and a completely new form of premium cinematic entertainment,” said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. “The IMAX(R) theatre network has enabled us to generate incremental box office returns, and we are very enthusiastic about our upcoming film slate, which will include both original IMAX 3D programming and our tent-pole releases.”

     “The IMAX release adds a layer of excitement to major titles, and with more audiences looking for something special at the movies, we anticipate continued strong box office returns from these theatres internationally,” said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

     “Warner Bros. Pictures’ dedication to the IMAX film business, their talent for making great films and their enthusiastic endorsement of IMAX DMR and original programming has enabled our partnership to reach this impressive milestone,” said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. “With our digital projection system on the verge of rapidly expanding the IMAX network worldwide, we are confident that we’ll reach many more milestones with Warner Bros. Pictures.”

     The studio’s Hollywood IMAX releases that contributed to the $400 million milestone and helped shape the IMAX network as a new distribution platform include The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Polar Express (in IMAX 3D), Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, V for Vendetta, Poseidon, Superman Returns (in IMAX 3D), The Ant Bully (in IMAX 3D), Happy Feet, 300, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (in IMAX 3D), Beowulf (international) and I Am Legend.

     The original IMAX 3D films co-produced and released with Warner Bros. Pictures include NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience (2003), which has grossed nearly $24 million at the IMAX box office, and Deep Sea 3D (2006), which has grossed an impressive $64 million at the IMAX box office on a limited number of screens, and it is still playing well throughout the IMAX network.

     “Warner Bros. Pictures has been instrumental in bringing The IMAX Experience into mainstream,” added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “They were the first studio to release a feature film in IMAX 3D, the first studio to release a live action film that had been converted into 3D, and they introduced the world to a whole new brand of original IMAX 3D programming that is both educational and entertaining. We look forward to continued success with them and their incredible filmmakers as we collaborate in the release of a broad range of pictures over the next few years.”

     The 2008, 2009 and 2010 lineup for Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX currently include Speed Racer (May 9), The Dark Night (July 18), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (November 21), Under the Sea 3D (February 2009) and Hubble 3D (February 2010).

     About IMAX Corporation

     IMAX Corporation is one of the world’s leading digital entertainment and technology companies. The worldwide IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event Hollywood films around the globe, with IMAX theatres delivering the world’s best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX 3D, and IMAX DMR technology. IMAX DMR is the Company’s groundbreaking digital remastering technology that allows it to digitally transform virtually any conventional motion picture into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience. IMAX’s renowned projectors and new digital systems display crystal-clear images on the world’s biggest screens. The IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive entertainment experiences for consumers. As of December 31, 2007, there were 299 IMAX theatres operating in 39 countries.

     IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX DMR(R), IMAX MPX(R), and The IMAX Experience(R) are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information on the Company can be found at http://www.imax.com .

     This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on management’s assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Important factors that could affect these statements include ongoing discussions with the SEC and OSC relating to their ongoing inquiries, the timing of theatre system deliveries, the mix of theatre systems shipped, the timing of the recognition of revenues and expenses on film production and distribution agreements, the performance of films, the viability of new businesses and products, risks arising from potential material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and fluctuations in foreign currency and in the large format and general commercial exhibition market. These factors and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and in the subsequent reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Earnings were solid but the DVD rental site’s lower profit forecast, due to the cost of shifting to downloads and Blu-ray, sends shareholders scurrying

BusinessWeek reports that the once thriving Netflix may be in for a bit of a bumpy road ahead.

It has been a good year for Netflix shareholders, until now that is. After riding a 50% spike in the DVD-by-mail company’s shares, investors fled in droves on a first-quarter report that showed record sales and profits, but warned of slowing growth and higher costs.

Netflix had found a nice increase in subscribers after the recent rising of Blockbuster rates and ended the first quarter with 8.2 million subscribers, a 21% surge from the prior year.  However, with increasing technologies and costs that cut into profit margins, the company is treading ahead with careful footing aware that profits are clearly still under pressure.

While higher prices on Blu-ray rentals might scare some customers away, the effect on overall growth may be minimal. Analyst Jim Friedland of Cowen & Co. (COWN) pointed out in a research note published Apr. 22, “Blu-ray subscribers account for a low single-digit percentage of subscribers.”

In terms of movie downloads—currently offered free for PC viewing to existing subscribers—Netflix has nearly doubled the selection of titles from 5,000 at the end of 2007, to roughly 9,000 now. This rapid expansion means that costs to build-out the online channel are rising, Friedland says. “Netflix indicated that it eventually plans to charge for its online instant viewing service, but we expect it to remain free until the number of digital titles increases and a number of Netflix-to-TV devices become available,” he wrote. Netflix plans to release a set-top box made by South Korea’s LG Electronics later this year, and similar partnerships with other consumer electronics companies are expected.

Retailers Embrace Innovative Product as Best Way to Watch Movies at Home

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 22 /PRNewswire/ — VUDU Inc., the company that brings instant access to video-entertainment to the living room, today announced that it has been named the “Best Product: Digital Home” at the RetailVision Spring 2008 Event — the premier global event for the retail consumer channel. VUDU also participated in the first FRESH product showcase event held during RetailVision where select companies presented their product to over 200 Top Level Retailers, eTailers, and Direct Marketers.

“VUDU is truly honored to receive the Best Product for the Digital Home category,” said Patrick Cosson, vice president of marketing, VUDU. “We believe it is a testament to the innovative product and entertainment experience we have developed and exemplifies the close relationships we are building with the retail channel.”

The winners of the “Best of RetailVision Awards” are selected by decision-makers from Top Level merchants, who are responsible for selecting products and services to be offered to the consumer market. VUDU won this prestigious “people’s choice” award in a secret ballot of the attendees during the exclusive two day event in Orlando, FL, April 15-16th, 2008.

“The Digital Home Award represents the best of the consumer tech products currently on the market and are chosen by the retailers themselves, the ones who shape the market,” said Ray Robidoux, Sightline Group, a leading retail channel consulting firm. “I believe companies such as VUDU, who were so well received by the retail community at this year’s show, have a promising future.”

VUDU gives movie and TV fans the ultimate in flexibility and choice. Users can finally watch the right movie at the right time, instantly — no planning needed, no computer required, no cable TV or satellite service necessary.

About VUDU:
VUDU is dedicated to bringing instant access to video entertainment to every living room. Through relationships with every major US motion picture studio and more than 25 independent and international distributors, VUDU delivers thousands of mainstream movies, HD films and TV shows straight to the television. Consumers can finally watch what they want, when they want-no planning needed, no computer required, no cable TV or satellite service necessary.