Christopher Nolan, Zendaya, more accept awards at CinemaCon – Deadline

CinemaCon 2023 officially came to an end in Las Vegas this evening, where NATO presented its Big Screen Achievement Awards to recipients such as Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Zendaya, Chris Meledandri and Melissa McCarthy. The spirit of the evening continued the ongoing theme of the four-day convention: celebrating and preserving the theatrical experience.

Nolan and Thomas were honored with the Spirit of the Industry Award. oppenheimer The director explained that he was recently walking past a Regal Cinema in New York and a young man passing by said, “You make the world a better place” and kept walking. Nolan quipped, “The first thing I thought was that my agents never said anything nice to me.” But then, “I began to consider everyone who works in movies — from studios, distributors, theater owners, marketers, people serving popcorn — we’re all engaged in a process that in some small way makes the world.” a better place. It’s an absolute good because we all work in the greatest art form that’s ever been created… It can connect to the subjective experience of another human being in novel ways, but it’s at the same time One can combine that with the experience of being in the theatre, to feel what the rest of the audience is feeling, and so I thought ‘what a fantastic feeling’.

Nolan then said, “If I’m being completely honest, what the young man really said was, ‘You make the world a better place, Mr. Sorkin’.” More seriously, he said, “I think that sentiment still holds. It’s not just for the great Aaron Sorkin, but for all of us who work in movies because what movies provide is entertainment, It’s joy, it’s emotion, it’s catharsis, it’s fear, it’s everything. It’s a wonderful thing to be involved in. We’re all incredibly privileged to be a part of it. Those of us called is, in a sort of pejorative way, defending it over the years I’ve often been accused of magical thinking, of nostalgia, of daydreaming as opposed to a sound business plan and taken Over the years we’ve all realized that when you’re talking about movies, magical thinking, nostalgia, daydreaming – that’s the right business plan, that’s the only solid business plan. That’s the movies. He told the exhibitors in the auditorium, “Whatever dreamlike stories are allowed to come out through this medium rests on the foundation of your theatre. And so, for that reason, it is a privilege to work for you.” thank you so much.”

referring to oppenheimerThe star-packed drama about the making of the atomic bomb, slated for release in July by Universal, said Thomas, “We are part of our filmmaking process where the creative work is done and we have to bring our child into the real world.” And it’s been a horrible, horrible process. She said it’s almost now that she and Nolan regularly “look at each other and ask the question, ‘Why do we do this?’

But the answer comes soon, she explained to the exhibitors in the audience, and it’s usually “when we’re standing in the back of your theater, one of the first paying spectators to see our film … about to see the audience.” There is something in me that aches to come out of our homes, sit within those four walls of a theater and be carried by the shops that tell us what makes sense of everything we do.

Zendaya was next honored with the Star of the Year award and told theater owners, “I love what I do, and I’m so grateful for all of you because without all of you I wouldn’t have a house or a place to go. last Spider Man, homecoming, away from home And no way home The star recalled going on her first date at age 15 Spider Man In 3D, he added, “I think in the theatre, where one can be seen, one can feel alone, one can escape, one can create new dreams.”

Among those honored was Chris Meledandri, CEO and Founder of Illumination super mario bros movie It soon crossed $1B after crossing $900M globally earlier this week. He told that in the opening weekend he went to three different theaters for the audience to watch the film. “In the second theater, I was standing there and I was looking at the audience consisting of grandparents, kids, couples, people in dresses having an incredible time. I realized that at that time there were 25,000 theaters around the world playing our film and that there was a level of joy that we were providing for those audiences at a time when the world was in such dire need of joy.

Added Meledandri, “I feel very fortunate to have partnered with all of you in that effort. So thank you for being our partner, and as you’ve heard many times this week, we wouldn’t be here without all of you. This perfect art form is not going to slip through our fingers as everyone here is determined to make it as great as it has ever been.

Cinéma Vérité Award winner Melissa McCarthy next to appear in Disney’s live-action the little Mermaid Undersea vamp Ursula said, “It feels a little strange to be thanked by the organization that encouraged me on my life’s path… Movies were my inspiration, my teacher, my friend. just opened my eyes to what I could become, and that feeling of experiencing collective joy and awe and love in the theater changed not only the way I saw the world, but also how I saw myself in it. It inspired me at a very young age. I realized that we’re all in this together and we need this more than ever. We’ve drifted from our shared humanities, but I truly believe that cinema and storytelling can help bridge that divide. Can

The actors who accepted the award were also joy ride, Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu for the Comedy Ensemble. Park told theater owners, “None of us ever really thought we’d have space in this capacity on a big screen and the fact that you want it on your screen means a lot to us. ” Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, who are starring together in Paramount’s summer release, Transformers: Rise of the BeastsAwarded as Rising Star of the Year.