Dwayne Johnson Receives CinemaCon's Entertainment Icon of the Decade Award
After presenting exclusive footage from DC League of Super-Pets and Black Adam last night at CinemaCon, actor Dwayne Johnston was presented the Entertainment Icon of the Decade Award by Warner Bros. Pictures chairman Toby Emmerich. The actor is just the latest to recieve recognition from the National Associationt of Theater Owners celebrating ten years of excellence with previous winners including Naomi Watts, Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne, Nicole Kidman, and Nicolas Cage. Emmerich touted the $11 billion in global box office that Johnson's projects have grossed over the years, while the actor thanked the theater owners for being unsung partners in his career.
"I got lucky," Johnson said when accepting his award. "I really worked hard and you know, a little bit of luck. A lot of luck over the years. I got lucky....Something like this is amazing. Thank you. We share this, and the Warner Brothers team, the DC team, we share this, all the studios in our business. I share this with them too, as well, and I share it with you guys (the NATO attendees). Because really, it's always a team effort, right? We all play a pivotal, critical role in everything that we do."
He continued, "I always feel that life moves at the speed of the relationships you have and the people that you keep around you who believe in your dream, your vision, who support your ethos. And I do believe life moves in that way. So I have been very lucky and fortunate over the years to have the career that I've had. We all have done business together over the years and we've made some good money over the years, which is always important, but I think probably more importantly than that, we entertained and made a lot of people feel good all around the world. And that's the most important thing."
Johnson concluded by thanking the "smart people" he needs by his side, highlighting his production company Seven Bucks, and telling the crowd: "I'm so lucky. I thank you guys so much. Let's have a great spring at the box office, a great summer, great fall. Let's close out this year on an uptick. I love you guys. We are back."
The actor can next be seen in DC's League of Super-Pets, which debuts in theaters on July 29, 2022, and in the long gestating Black Adam, which arrives on October 21, 2022.