SUBMITTED BY Kit-Kat

April 8, 2005 — For the first time in industry history, a movie trailer created exclusively for the internet will make the leap onto theater screens across the country. Due to the phenomenal response online, the exclusive, online-only bonus "guide" trailer for Touchstone Pictures' and Spyglass Entertainment's upcoming comedy-adventure, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," will debut in theaters across the country on April 1st, it was announced Wednesday (3/30) by Oren Aviv, president of marketing for Buena Vista Pictures. The trailer is being targeted in front of the highly anticipated "Sin City," whose audience will appreciate the original, irreverent, tongue-in-cheek approach of this unique "guide" trailer.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" has already become one of the most talked about films of the year on the internet, with more than 7,000 discussions occurring in online communities since the bonus guide trailer debuted. The movie is a hot topic of discussion in more than 2,200 blogs, more than upcoming summer blockbusters such as "War of the Worlds" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." In February, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" became the first movie ever to premiere a theatrical trailer on Amazon.com. A recent feature on the movie site IGN FilmForce about the Vogons -- a unique race of creatures beloved by "Hitchhiker's" fans -- registered the most page views ever for an article on that popular website. Traffic at the film's official website, www.hitchhikersmovie.com, has also generated some of the most impressive numbers for any film released by the studio. Touchstone Pictures' and Spyglass Entertainment's "The Hitchhhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," directed by Garth Jennings, screenplay by Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick, produced by Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Nick Goldsmith, Jay Roach, Jonathan Glickman arrives in theaters everywhere on April 29th.

Commenting on the announcement, Oren Aviv said, "'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' has become one of the most talked about films of the year online. The response to the online trailer has been nothing short of phenomenal, with more than 7,000 discussions about the film posted since its debut. Many of those discussions urged us to put the trailer on the big screen, and 'Sin City' seemed like the perfect film and a great opportunity for us to reach our target audience. The trailer is great fun for movie fans of all ages, whether they've read the Douglas Adams books or not, and it takes a very lighthearted, engaging and irreverent approach towards introducing the film. We believe audiences are going to be delighted with this imaginative and unique adventure, and that 'Hitchhhikers Guide' is going to be one of the most popular films of the season."

Based on Douglas Adams' best selling novel, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the film takes moviegoers on an extraordinary and hilarious adventure across the universe. Earthman Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is having a very bad day. His house is about to be bulldozed, he discovers that his best friend is an alien, and to top things off, Planet Earth is about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur's only chance for survival: hitch a ride on a passing spacecraft. For the novice space traveler, the greatest adventure in the universe begins when the world ends. Arthur sets out on a journey in which he finds that nothing is as it seems: he learns that a towel is just the most important thing in the universe, finds the meaning of life, and discovers that everything he needs to know can be found in one book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, Warwick Davis, and John Malkovich also star.