The end of the line for King Tut tickets comes into view today, when single tickets go on sale for the exhibit that arrives at Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art in December.

In the meantime, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," which runs Dec. 15 [2005] through April 23 [2006], already is big business in South Florida. Museum VIP memberships, corporate sponsorships, group sales and travel tie-ins are all hot items, along with an advance-sale gimmick called the certificate presale.

But fans looking outside normal channels for an inside track to buck long lines should be wary, according to both museum and Broward Center box office officials.

Don't believe any "no lines" sales pitch, says Michael Mills, the Fort Lauderdale museum's communications manager...

Although over-the-counter $75 VIP tickets are part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's exhibition offerings, no such price level is part of the Fort Lauderdale box office sales.

VIP tickets are available here only by signing up as a museum member with a minimum $150 donation, or buying a vacation package with Greater Fort Lauderdale Marriott Hotels & Resorts...

King Tut exhibit becomes the hottest ticket in town, Orlando Sentinel, Florida, USA, October 18, 2005.

cf. Ticket sales brisk for upcoming Tut exhibit, The Miami Herald, Florida, USA, October 19, 2005.

Neither complaints of high prices nor mixed reviews — not even the occasional power outage — has stemmed the success of "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," which is expecting a renewed surge in attendance through its close on Nov. 15 [2005].

The LACMA West exhibition, the collection's first stop on a four-city U.S. farewell tour, logged an average of 30,000 visitors a week in the midst of its run. John Norman, president and CEO of Arts and Exhibitions International, says crowds in the next few weeks are likely to rival the 45,000 to 50,000 counted in its early weeks.

"We went the first 10 weeks, or something like that, without having a ticket ever unsold through any day," he said. "A slow week for us would be an incredibly busy week for anybody with any other exhibit anywhere in the world..."

King Tut exhibit still a hot ticket, LA Daily News, California, USA, October 19, 2005.