ENCORE PRESENTATION OF THE METROPOLITAN OPERA’S “THE MAGIC FLUTE” IN EXPANDED NUMBER OF MOVIE THEATRES ACROSS THE U.S. ON JANUARY 23 RD

In response to Sold-Out Movie Theatres, the Met’s new English-language production of The Magic Flute can be seen in an encore presentation scheduled at 71 AMC, Cinemark and Regal Entertainment Group locations

New York, NY and Denver, CO (January 9, 2007) — Music lovers all over the world experienced the spectacle of live opera in their hometown movie theatres with the Metropolitan Opera’s transmission of its new English-language version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute on Saturday, December 30. Now opera fans who were not able to see the sold-out live in-theatre event will be given another chance to experience director Julie Taymor’s thrilling production with a encore pre-recorded presentation of The Magic Flute on Tuesday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Through U.S. cinema partner National CineMedia, the encore performance of the Metropolitan Opera’s The Magic Flute , (recorded at the December 30 matinee in ) will be presented in High-Definition and Cinema Surround Sound at 71 select AMC, Cinemark and Regal Entertainment Group (, and Edwards) movie theatres in 45 U.S. markets – 15 more theaters than the initial transmission, including two theaters in New York City.

Tickets are available now for $18.00 adults and $15.00 children at most participating theatre locations and online at http://www.metoperafamily.org/hdlive (ticket-on-sale dates vary by theatre). Presenting theatres for this encore of The Magic Flute may differ from the original live locations, and new theatres and cities have been added, so please check the Web site carefully for more details on tickets and participating theatre locations.

The Magic Flute was the first presentation of “Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD,” a groundbreaking series of opera performances to be transmitted live, in High-Definition, into movie theatres in North America, Europe and Japan, reaching a global audience of nearly 30,000 people with a total audience capacity of over 90 percent.

Future live transmissions from the Met are Bellini’s I Puritani starring Anna Netrebko (January 6), Tan Dun’s The First Emperor starring Plácido Domingo (January 13), Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin starring Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky (February 24), Rossini’s The Barber of Seville starring Juan Diego Flórez, Joyce DiDonato, and Peter Mattei (March 24), and Puccini’s Il Trittico featuring a stellar ensemble cast (April 28). As the series progresses, additional theatres will be added. “We are thrilled that opera fans have responded so positively to this new concept and have called for an encore presentation,” said Tom Galley, National CineMedia’s chief operations and technology officer. “Tickets for all operas in the series are selling at a good pace, and in fact there are already several sold-out locations.”

“These larger-than-life, big-screen transmissions provide an alternative experience for our national and international constituency,” said Mr. Gelb, noting that it will be possible for approximately 250,000 people to attend the movie theatre version of live opera during the course of the season, significantly extending the Met’s audience.

About National CineMedia National CineMedia, LLC is a venture of AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA, Inc. and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), three of the world's leading theatrical exhibition companies. The company develops pre-feature entertainment; cinema and lobby advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services; and alternative forms of entertainment content for distribution across the approximately 13,000 screens operated by its owner theatre circuits and other theatre affiliates. Over 11,000 of these screens are part of NCM’s Digital Content Network (DCN), one of the world's largest in-theatre digital distribution networks. The network provides content and advertising to 150 U.S. markets, including 49 of the top 50, reaching an estimated 525 million movie patrons annually. For additional information, please go to www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com .

About the Met Under the leadership of new General Manager Peter Gelb, the Met has launched many initiatives to connect the company with a larger audience. They include: a first-ever free Open House that offered the public an opportunity to attend the final dress rehearsal of Madama Butterfly; an extensive Madama Butterfly transit advertising campaign in New York City during the month of September; $15 tickets (formerly $26) in the Family Circle section; the new Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket program that offers 200 orchestra seats deeply discounted to $20 for weekday performances, available at the box office two hours before curtain; the new Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met exhibiting contemporary art; a groundbreaking commissioning program in partnership with the Lincoln Center Theater that provides renowned composers and playwrights the resources to create and develop new works at the Met and Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater; and dynamic new content on the web site, the house program, and the Saturday matinee radio broadcasts heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. The Met recently announced the use of advanced distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world. On September 25, “Metropolitan Opera Radio on Sirius” launched as a 24-hour satellite radio channel broadcasting live and rare historical performances. The Met presents free live streaming of performances from its website once every week with support from RealNetworks®.

# # # For more information, please contact:

Sommer Hixson Kim Elek Karen Baratz Metropolitan Opera McReynolds Elek McReynolds Elek (212) 870-7457 (410) 956-0460 (240) 497-1811 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

National CineMedia, LLC: Amy Jane Finnerty (212) 931-8117 [email protected]