Denzel Washington was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award on the opening night of CinemaCon 2023.
The Hollywood star – known for hit movies including Flight, Training Day and Fences – was presented with the accolade by director Antoine Fuqua at the event in Las Vegas on Monday.
Fuqua, who directed Washington in vigilante action film series The Equalizer, presented him with the award in the final moments of the convention.
Addressing audience members, Washington said: “We would be nothing without you all. What we do means nothing if you’re not there.
“We’re here for you. We’re here because of you.
Justice knows no borders. Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall in the final chapter of The Equalizer. #TheEqualizer3, exclusively in movie theaters this Fall. New Trailer Tomorrow. ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/49dSqZEB6m
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) April 24, 2023
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve been blessed beyond measure.”
The pair also welcomed actress Dakota Fanning to the stage to introduce the trailer for The Equalizer 3, which is due for release in September.
Other stars making appearances on day one of CinemaCon included Jennifer Lawrence, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Paul Rudd.
The opening night saw Sony Pictures present a range of first looks at upcoming projects, including Gran Turismo, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and Ghostbusters.
Happy Earth(s) day. Travel across these dimensions and more in Spider-Man: Across the #SpiderVerse, coming exclusively to movie theaters June 2. pic.twitter.com/aBCuHeZLLv
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) April 22, 2023
Elsewhere, fans were treated to a sneak peek at the first 14 minutes of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the follow-up to the 2018 animated film.
Shameik Moore, who voices Miles Morales in the franchise, appeared onstage to present the film, telling audiences the film was due to see his character “figure out how to be a superhero”.
The film is due for release on June 2.
CinemaCon is taking place in Las Vegas from April 24 to 27 with presentations by all major US film studios.
