Las Vegas Weekly

March 17, 2010 · 1:26 PM

The Twilight Saga: New Moon wins fan choice award at ShoWest

By Robin Leach

Photo: Summit Entertainment

It was one of the year’s Top 10 grossing films at the box office, and now The Twilight Saga: New Moon has won the ShoWest/Fandango Fan Choice Award to be presented at tomorrow’s banquet and award ceremony.

New Moon, the second in the hugely popular Twilight series, won with more than 66 percent of the vote during the eight-week online survey with more than 70,000 voting. One winner who took part in the sweepstakes will attend the ceremony at Bally’s and Paris. We posted a story yesterday of all the awards being presented tomorrow.

Last year was not only the third consecutive record year for the box office, but also the first time it raked in more than $10 billion, and the global box office reached a record $30 billion. The year also saw the first $500 million and $400 million box office take in one year, and 32 films each grossed more than $100 million in the U.S. This year is off to a strong start and ahead of last year, and movies, in good times and bad economically speaking, are recession resistant!

There will be 21 big 3-D movies released this year, and it appears that 2,500 digital screens will be added. In 2007, there were 4,700 digital screens total, and the industry has 7,593 to date of the 39,380 U.S. screens. The success of Avatar, with more than $700 million in the U.S. and $1.9 billion including overseas, proves that digital 3-D is not only here to stay but will continue the industry’s growth.

Photo: Rain Andreani www.raincosmetics.com

Rain Andreani of Rain Cosmetics does the hair and makeup for Toy Story 3 producer Daria Anderson and director Lee Unkrich at ShoWest 2010.

John Fithian, president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners, told ShoWest opening ceremony delegates: “Digital 3-D will explode this year. This is a glorious time to be a part of the magical business of movies. Even as Americans struggled through a deep recession with lower wages and a growing unemployment rate, they came out to cinemas to see movies more often. Going to the movies remains the most affordable form of entertainment outside the home. Movie tickets are still cheaper than live stage, sports, music concerts. … The average movie ticket today costs less, adjusted for inflation, than the average movie ticket in 1969.”

Sony Pictures today screens its new Karate Kid starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Afterward, Jaden, the son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, will be presented with the award for Breakthrough Male Star of the Year.

Also on tap at ShoWest today is the screening of Kick Ass in Barry Manilow’s theater at the Paris. It’s a summer movie with Nicolas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Johnson as a teenager turned vigilante hero on a mission to massacre the Mafia.

Yesterday was the debut screening of the 3-D Toy Story 3, and our local makeup princess Rain Andreani of Rain Cosmetics did the hair and makeup for producer Daria Anderson and director Lee Unkrich before their media and photo sessions. Some 1,000 people attended the screening and were amazed. The movie took four years to complete and is in theaters this summer.

We’ll be at tomorrow night’s awards with Twitter reports and videos, and we’ll follow with the full story and photos Friday.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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