GlobeNewswire Inc | Jul 12, 2021 09:17AM EDT

July 12, 2021

JOLIETTE, Quebec, July 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE American: BTN), and a leader in projection screen manufacturing and optical coating development for cinemas, commercial venues, and amusement parks worldwide (Strong/MDI) announces that it has partnered with Illuminarium Experiences on the opening of their first location in Atlanta, Georgia.

Using ground-breaking technology, Illuminarium Atlanta presents WILD, utilizing cinematic immersion to allow visitors to experience the watering holes, sweeping plains and majestic landscapes of Africa and come face to face with the worlds most exotic animals. To create this realistic encounter, Strong/MDI produced the proprietary, high contrast Orion optical coating applied to all the projection walls within the venue, as well as providing the patented speaker panels which allow the audio to penetrate through a solid projection surface with minimal distortion that is invisible to the human eye.

Illuminarium Atlanta is a great venue providing a larger-than-life immersive virtual reality experience to the audience, allowing visitors to virtually walk through the savannahs of Africa. It was an honor to have collaborated with a leader in the industry, to push the boundaries of the immersive experience to a new level and we look forward to working with them on additional venues, commented Franois Barrette, Vice President and General Manager for Strong/MDI.

Our team implemented some of the very critical technical elements within the venue, ultimately helpingIlluminariumachieve their final vision to provide the most realistic immersive experience possible. Working side-by-side with Illuminariums technical staff we have helped create a truly unique venue that is sure to please all audiences, stated Dustin Small, Director of Special Projects for Strong/MDI.

Illuminariumis a one-of-a-kind venue, placing the audience at the center of an immersive cinematic experience, virtually transporting you to the worlds most extraordinary places and beyond. Strong/MDIand theirengineering team were the ideal partners to help us bring our vision of this unique audio-visual experience to life and we are excited to continue our work with them on subsequent venues,said Brian Allen, Executive Vice President of Technology and Content forIlluminarium.

About Illuminarium ExperiencesIlluminarium Experiences is a breakthrough, global experiential entertainment company created by worldwide leaders in cinematic and interactive content, architectural and theatrical design and venue operations. Illuminarium Experiences are immersive entertainment spectacles presented in custom-designed venues called Illuminariums. What museums are to art, cinemas to movies and concert halls to music, Illuminariums are to experiential entertainment. Illuminariums are reprogrammable immersive theaters that surround visitors in a sensory space of sight, sound and scale unlike any other, providing access to the most amazing, but typically out-of-reach, places, people and experiences to make our planet a more inspired, more empathetic and more connected place. Illuminarium Experiences brings together best-in-class partners in content creation, theatrical design, interactive technologies and venue operations. Learn more at www.Illuminarium.com.

About Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc.

Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc., (www.strongmdi.com) a Ballantyne Strong, Inc. company, is a projection screen manufacturer located in Joliette, Canada. It manufactures 2D and 3D screens, specialty screens, motorized screen systems, custom structures and masking motors for clients worldwide. Strong/ MDI also manufactures and distributes curvilinear immersive screens to theme parks, museums, and schools, as well as for special events and military applications and is also known for the development of highly sophisticated coatings for projection surfaces.

About Ballantyne Strong, Inc.Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (www.ballantynestrong.com) is a diversified holding company with operations and investments across a broad range of industries. The Companys Strong Entertainment segment includes the largest premium screen supplier in the U.S. and provides technical support services and other related products and services to the cinema exhibition industry, theme parks, and other entertainment-related markets. Ballantyne Strong holds a $13 million preferred investment, along with Google Ventures, in privately-held Firefly Systems, Inc., which is rolling out a digital mobile advertising network on rideshare and taxi fleets. Finally, the Company holds a 30% ownership position in GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSX: GFP), which has recently completed an investment in a sawmill and related assets, and a 21% ownership position in FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF), a reinsurance and investment management holding company focused on opportunistic collateralized and loss capped reinsurance, while allocating capital to SPAC and SPAC sponsor-related businesses.

Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. Contact Franois Barrette Vice President ? General Manager 877-755-3795 francois.barrette@strongmdi.com Investor Relations Contacts Mark Roberson John Nesbett / Jennifer BelodeauBallantyne Strong, Inc. IMS Investor RelationsChief Executive Officer (203) 972-9200704-994-8279 jnesbett@imsinvestorrelations.comIR@btn-inc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d925c13-36e7-4720-af7a-feed427e6dc7