TOWERING DISCS OF DVD FEATURES
In addition to the theatrical version of the film, the second disc of the DVD will premiere an exclusive ten-minute behind-the-scenes sneak preview look at The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in the trilogy due in theatres December 17, 2003. The second disc also includes actor Sean Astin’s (Sam) short film, The Long And Short Of It, and the “making-of” documentary of Astin’s short film. Also featured is “Gollum's Song” music video by Emiliana Torrini, a preview of Electronic Arts’ Video Game, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and a first look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

“The release strategy of The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, with two distinct versions of the DVD available to consumers, proved that there is huge consumer demand from both fans of the original theatrical release and The Lord of the Rings aficionados who want a more extensive experience,” says New Line Home Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Einhorn. “The August 26th release will include the award-winning film, footage from The Return of the King, a short film by Sean Astin, and other fantastic features that fans of the DVD format have come to expect. And the special four-disc set arriving in November, is now in the process of being completed while Peter Jackson finishes post production work on The Return of the King.”

“Tower”-ing Above The Competition
The power of The Lord of the Rings continues to grow: The Two Towers’ worldwide theatrical box office surpassed that of The Fellowship of the Ring, licensed merchandise sales increased exponentially, The Lord of the Rings book titles remain prominently on The New York Times bestseller list, and the DVDs of The Fellowship of the Ring proved to be the number one revenue generating DVD of 2002.

With current domestic box office receipts at $337 million, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers set records for the highest-grossing December domestic opening weekend ($62 million, Friday-Sunday), highest-grossing one-day worldwide gross ($42 million), and highest-grossing Christmas Day box office ($12.4 million). The film currently ranks number seven on the list of all-time biggest domestic motion picture box office hits and number five in worldwide box office.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers begins in the hills of Emyn Muil, where lost Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) discover they are being followed by the mysterious and extraordinarily rendered Gollum (Andy Serkis). A mercurial creature who has been warped by his proximity to the Ring, Gollum promises to guide the Hobbits to the Black Gates of
Mordor. . .

Across Middle-earth Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) encounter the besieged Kingdom of Rohan, whose once great King Theoden (Bernard Hill) has fallen under the deadly spell of evil wizard Saruman The White (Christopher Lee) through the machinations of his spy, the sinister Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Eowyn (Miranda Otto), the niece of the King, recognizes a leader in Aragorn, and though the warrior finds himself drawn to her, Aragorn is constantly reminded of his enduring love for the Elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) and the pact they’ve made. Gandalf, reborn as Gandalf the White following his cataclysmic battle with the Balrog, reminds Aragorn of his destiny to unite the people of Rohan with Gondor, the last remaining stronghold of Human resistance. . .

Meanwhile, the captured Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from their monstrous Uruk-hai captors and, fleeing into the mysterious Fangorn Forest, discover an unexpected ally among the ancient trees---Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies), a living, walking, talking tree-shepherd, among the oldest creature in Middle-earth, whose forest Saruman has decimated. . .

In their parallel journeys, the Fellowship will stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers -- Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where Saruman has bred a lethal army of 10,000 strong; and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dûr, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers culminates in the astonishing battle for the refuge Helm’s Deep: the Kingdom of Rohan’s ancient large stone fortress, besieged by Uruk-hai warriors.

For more information about The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, visit www.lordoftherings.net. To download The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers press releases and photos, visit New Line’s website at www.moviepublicity.com.

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Barbara Pflughaupt, Jeff Lovari, Bill Douglas
Joanne Cole (212) 995-1415