Toronto Two Towers Exhibit Extended!
Xoanon @ 12:36 pm EST

High attendance results in extended date for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Exhibit

TORONTO, Nov. 20 /CNW/ - Due to a steady flow of interest in everything Tolkien, Alliance Atlantis' Motion Picture Distribution Group announced today the extension of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS EXHIBIT. The experiential exhibition containing artefacts from New Line Cinema's theatrical production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS currently showing at the Royal Ontario Museum's former McLaughlin Planetarium was originally set to close December 1, 2002, but because of the high interest, Alliance Atlantis extended the date to December 8, 2002. Toronto is the only city in the world where this exhibit will be presented.

Since the exhibit launched on October 31, 2002, 42,000 people have passed through the doors into Middle-earth with sell-out crowds every weekend. That number is expected to reach more than 50,000 by Saturday, November 23, 2002.

"I am delighted that Toronto's response, actually North America's response, to the exhibit has been so overwhelming," said Joanna Miles, Exhibit Producer. "This extra week will give those who haven't seen it a second chance and those fans who have seen it can come again. The crew from New Zealand are ecstatic to hear about the extension and thank Toronto for such a tremendous reception."

The acclaimed Oscar-nominated visionaries, Dan and Chris Hennah, were responsible for the design work of the theatrical trilogy and the 2001 & 2002 Toronto exhibits. They brought a team of 10 from New Zealand to oversee the creation and installation.

Starting in the greenery of the Fangorn Forest and ending in the opulence of Rivendell, throughout their journey guests will pass through such areas as The Golden Hall; the parapets of Helm's Deep; the Glittering Caves and the Isengard Caverns. Interspersed in these environments will be costumes, drawings, props, exclusive never-before-seen footage from THE TWO TOWERS and of course the One Ring.

The exhibit is brought to you by Alliance Atlantis Motion Pictures and Bell ExpressVu and through our official media sponsors The Toronto Star, eye, Mix 99.9 FM and Showcase Action. Special thanks to our sponsors Sharp Electronics, the official electronics sponsor, Harper Collins Canada Ltd., HMV, Investment New Zealand, Air New Zealand and Goway Travel.

The ticket prices are as follows:

Adults (18-64 years) $15.00
Seniors (65+ years with valid seniors card) $12.00
Students (with valid student card) $12.00
Children (5-14 years) $7.50

Tickets can be purchased in advance at all TicketKing locations starting October 1, 2002 by calling 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333 or by visiting www.ticketking.com.

New Line Cinema is producing the Trilogy of films based on the much-loved novel. The second instalment of the trilogy, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS will be released across Canada by Alliance Atlantis Motion Pictures on December 18.

Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. is a leading vertically integrated broadcaster, creator and distributor of filmed entertainment with ownership interests in 18 specialty channels, including seven established operating channels: Showcase, Life Network, History Television, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Series+ and Historia; seven recently launched developing channels: Showcase Action, Showcase Diva, IFC - The Independent Film Channel Canada, Discovery Health Channel, BBC Canada, BBC Kids, and National Geographic Channel; and four channels in which the Company has minority interests: SCREAM, The Score, PrideVision TV and One: the Body, Mind and Spirit Channel.

The Company's principal business activities are conducted through three operating groups: the Broadcast Group, the Motion Picture Distribution Group and the Entertainment Group. Headquartered in Toronto, Alliance Atlantis operates offices in Los Angeles, London, Montreal, Dublin, Edmonton, Halifax, Shannon and Sydney. The Company's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange - trading symbols AAC.A, AAC.B and on NASDAQ - trading symbol AACB. The Company's Web site is www.allianceatlantis.com.

With more than one million customers, Bell ExpressVu is Canada's leader in digital home entertainment and broadcasts over 275 video digital channels.

Bell ExpressVu was launched in September 1997 and since then has become the largest and fastest-growing direct-to-home broadcast company in Canada. Bell ExpressVu is a limited partnership, wholly owned by BCE Inc. The Royal Ontario Museum is an agency of the Government of Ontario.