Do you guys want the Press Release? I just got it....Here it is:
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Tomb Raider: The Ride(TM) To Open at Paramount's Kings Island in 2002
New attraction will change the face of thrill ride history and become one of
the world's greatest adventure rides, inspired by Paramount Pictures'
blockbuster film event, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider(TM)" starring Academy Award(R)
winner Angelina Jolie
KINGS ISLAND, Ohio, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- You've played the games. You've seen
the movie. Soon, you can take the ride. Paramount Parks, a unit of the Viacom
Entertainment Group, announced today plans to transform this summer's epic
adventure, Paramount Pictures' "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," into a unique,
multi-sensory adventure ride. TOMB RAIDER: The Ride will open in 2002 at
Paramount's Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Paramount Pictures feature film is based on the wildly popular Eidos
Interactive, Inc. action games: Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III:
The Adventures of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, and Tomb
Raider: Chronicles. Since its debut in 1996, Tomb Raider and its heroine,
Lara Croft, have become a worldwide phenomenon. With total sales of the action
games reaching 25 million units worldwide, each game has topped the PlayStation
game best-seller lists. The recent Paramount Pictures feature film had an
explosive $48.2 million mid-June opening-weekend box office gross giving it the
title of best debut ever for a film based on a video game property.
On TOMB RAIDER: The Ride, adventuring guests are in for an experience unique
to the theme park universe that is filled with all of Lara Croft's real
passions: raiding tombs, besting bad guys and one extreme adventure after
another. The excitement begins with a journey into a foreboding ancient
temple. As stone walls give way to others, guests will proceed through
mysterious chambers, engraved with strange, runic symbols and the debris of
failed expeditions, as a sense of impending doom grows. With only seconds to
spare before certain calamity, guests strap in to the only possible vehicle of
escape. Playing off scenes from the motion picture filmed in Cambodia and
Iceland, the escape will include rocketing upward for a close encounter in an
ice cave with menacing, razor-sharp stalactites and a face-first plunge
straight down toward a pit of boiling, red-hot lava.
"Part of the thrill of the Tomb Raider property is the mystery and intrigue
that surrounds each adventure. We want to preserve this mystery with the Tomb
Raider ride until the first group of adventurers braves it in 2002 -- so, we
aren't going to disclose all of the surprises in store for riders," said Tim
Fisher, executive vice president and general manager of Paramount's Kings
Island. "But this attraction will change the face of thrill ride history and
become one of the greatest adventure rides in the world."
In making the announcement, park officials unveiled a dramatic 42' x 28'
in-park display featuring actual props used in the filming of the motion
picture. Members of the project team visited the soundstages at Pinewood
Studios outside London, England and hand-selected key props to use throughout
the ride experience. Some of these props are a part of the display located at
the base of the park's signature Royal Fountain and Eiffel Tower attraction.
The movie props on display throughout the summer include:
* The impressive six-armed Brahma statue, known as the Warrior Goddess
Durga, featured in the Cambodian tomb
* The evil stone monkeys that are mobilized in the Cambodian tomb raiding
scene
"It is our intention to bring the excitement, adventure and technology of Tomb
Raider to life in a stunning multi-dimensional experience. Ensuring the
authenticity of this experience is of the utmost importance to us," Fisher
said. "We want guests to feel like real tomb raiders from the moment they
enter the attraction."
TOMB RAIDER: The Ride is currently under construction in the Rivertown section
of the 364-acre theme park. All will be revealed in 2002 when the park expects
to unveil the new attraction.
Paramount's Kings Island is owned and operated by Paramount Parks. More
information about Paramount's Kings Island is available at
www.pki.com . Guests
may also call the park directly at (800) 288-0808 or (513) 754-5700.
Paramount Parks and Paramount Pictures are units of Viacom Inc. Paramount
Parks is a leading developer and operator of regional theme parks and
location-based entertainment attractions. The company currently manages:
Paramount's Kings Island (Cincinnati, Ohio); Paramount's Kings Dominion
(Richmond, Va.); Paramount's Great America (Santa Clara, Calif.); Paramount's
Carowinds (Charlotte, N.C.); Paramount Canada's Wonderland (Toronto, Ontario,
Canada); and STAR TREK: The Experience(TM) at the Las Vegas Hilton (Las Vegas,
Nev.).
Viacom is the No. 1 vehicle in the world for advertisers, with preeminent
positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising and
online. With programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic
category across virtually all media, the company is a leader in the creation,
promotion and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music. Viacom's
well-known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, Paramount Pictures,
Infinity, UPN, TNN, CMT, Showtime, blockbuster, and Simon & Schuster. More
information about Viacom and its businesses is available at
www.viacom.com .
Eidos Interactive, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive
entertainment products for the PC, PlayStation(R) game console, PlayStation2
game console, Sega Dreamcast(TM), and Nintendo(R) Game Boy(R) Color. Eidos
Interactive is part of London-based Eidos plc (Nasdaq: EIDSY) with offices in
San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, and Tokyo.
For an electronic news release or digital images, log on to
www.pki.com/corpinfo.jsp .
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-Steve
