IMAX and Warner Bros. have signed a 20-picture deal.  Over the next three years, Warner Bros. will release 20 movies in the IMAX format.  This will obviously include the studios 2013 tentpole releases Jack the Giant Slayer, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, 300: Rise of an Empire, Gravity, Seventh Son, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  It's a big coup for both companies due to IMAX's higher ticket prices, and I'm a little surprised to see Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity included in the mix, but glad to see it considered on the same level as Superman and The Hobbit.

Hit the jump to check out the press release.  The next Warner Bros. film to hit IMAX will be The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

man of steel poster comic con

Here's the press release:

IMAX® AND WARNER BROS. SIGN 20-PICTURE DEAL, EXTEND LONG-RUNNING PARTNERSHIP

LOS ANGELES – Nov. 15, 2012 – IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX) and Warner Bros. Pictures, a division of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), today announced that they have agreed to release up to 20 Warner Bros. films in the immersive IMAX Experience® over the next three years, in an extension of the core partnership that began in 2003. The arrangement will continue to align the worldwide box office power of Warner Bros.’ tent-pole film business with the fast-growing global popularity of The IMAX Experience, providing the studio with an additional, differentiated platform that consistently delivers the best experience in cinema and strong returns for studios and exhibitors.

The arrangement also underscores the excitement around Warner Bros.’ upcoming slate, which includes many of the most anticipated movie-event titles emerging from Hollywood over the next few years. Warner Bros. titles to be released for 2013 include: Jack the Giant Slayer (March 1, 2013); Man of Steel (June 14, 2013); Pacific Rim (July 12, 2013); 300: Rise of an Empire (August 2, 2013); Gravity; Seventh Son (October 18, 2013); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 13, 2013).

"Together with IMAX and our exhibitor partners, we have built a unique, incremental distribution platform over the last 10 years,” said Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. "We are excited to continue this tradition and offer these films to audiences in the most premium of moviegoing experiences."

"The IMAX footprint continues to expand with tremendous success around the world,” said Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.  “We are very pleased to be presenting our 2013 and future slate in this premium theatrical environment.”

“Our longstanding partnership with Warner Bros. has resulted in extraordinary experiences for IMAX audiences, and we’re excited to add these core additional titles to our upcoming film slate,” said Richard L. Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “The growing network of IMAX theatres around the globe continues to enable all of our studio partners to deliver their films in a uniquely immersive way, and provide moviegoers with a premium way to experience the biggest movies.”

“IMAX continues to have a deep appreciation for the Warner Bros. team and its talented filmmaker collective as well as its comprehensive approach to our industry,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We’re confident that our continued partnership with Warner Bros. on all levels – pre-production, production, post production, marketing and distribution - will greatly benefit our two companies, our exhibition partners and moviegoers worldwide.”