Premieres: They're not just for Hollywood anymore. In a marketplace that now truly spans the globe, film and television openings and their attendant parties are cropping up nearly as frequently elsewhere as in Los Angeles -- and often, the East Coast is a venue not only of preference but of practicality in this era of the global day-and-date release.

"We're all opening our films a lot quicker," says Warner Bros. Pictures director of publicity and special events Courtney Saylor, who helped plan the recent U.S. premiere of "Troy" and world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," both of which took place in New York. "On the domestic opening, we used to have the time to get the talent to Los Angeles and New York; now, our bigger films are opening (worldwide) within a week, if not on the same day.

It makes more sense to have them in New York with (ABC's) 'Good Morning America' and (NBC's 'Today'), and then send them straight to Europe for the European tour."

The Big Apple sometimes provides a natural backdrop for an event, as when Miramax rolled out 2002's "Gangs of New York" and the March release "Jersey Girl."

"The movie is called 'Jersey Girl,' so it made sense to do the premiere in New York," Miramax executive vp worldwide publicity Amanda Lundberg says. "Girl's" post-screening party at the Hard Rock Cafe also proved synergistic because the movie features the restaurant in several key scenes.

But television rules in New York, so it is no surprise that HBO has rolled out season premieres in the city for "The Sopranos" (this year) and "Sex and the City" (in 2003). HBO senior vp corporate communications Quentin Schaffer believes that there is no difference between TV and film premieres, aside from the fact that the former are a newer practice.

"HBO was the first company to do premieres for its series," he says. "Some questioned whether people would want to come out for a TV series, (but) they did, and ever since, we've had a strong demand to come to our screenings."

That said, star power still rules in Los Angeles.

"So much is dictated by where your filmmakers and talent are; many times, they are in L.A. shooting," Lundberg admits. "(Then,) it becomes easier to do something in L.A., where (they can) get off work an hour or two early, rather than the two or three days it takes them to travel to New York."

Still, an occasional lack of A-list star power in New York means that premiere parties there often boast a more unique roster of attendees.

"In New York, you get a different mix of celebrities: musicians, stage actors (and) socialites," says Lizzie Grubman of Lizzie Grubman Associates, which helped launch 2001's "Swordfish."

Other screenings draw a mix of hoi polloi contest winners, celebs and crew members and stars of the film itself. Craned necks are a common sight in theaters as fans yearn to see who will fill taped-off reserved sections of seats.

Timing is important in roping in the non-Hollywood set, Lundberg believes. "If you hold a premiere on a Monday night, you're able to invite talent that's attached to plays and stage work," she says. "Even if it's a different night, they might come and do some (media appearances) before the movie starts, or they can come to the party after their show is over."

Finding the right location also is crucial when picking a premiere site in New York. Favorite screens include those at the 1,195-seat Ziegfeld Theatre, the Loews Astor Plaza and the Beekman Theatre.

The Ziegfeld hosts as many as 25 premieres a year, according to Laura Conover, spokesman for owner Clearview Cinemas. "It's one of the city's largest (screening venues)," she says. And because the theater has been restored to its 1927 palace splendor, "seeing a movie there is like stepping into old Hollywood," Conover adds.

Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden also offer size, as well as built-in themes.

"With (Buena Vista's 1996 family feature '101 Dalmatians' and its 2000 sequel '102 Dalmatians'), since (the studio released both films at) the beginning of November, we were able to tie in elements of our own 'Christmas Spectacular,'" says Joel Peresman, executive vp at Radio City Entertainment, which oversees bookings at both venues.

Other New York screening venues include the Sony Lincoln Square and the Imax theater at the American Museum of Natural History. Bryant Park has been tented, and the Metropolitan Opera House and Metropolitan Museum of Art have served as venues.

According to experts, afterparties should take place at locations that are no more than a 15-minute drive from their respective screening venues. When HBO premiered "Sex" at the AMNH, for example, a reception followed at the museum's Milstein Hall of Ocean Life -- and screenings at Radio City often are followed by parties at the nearby Rockefeller Center skating rink.

Other popular venues include Cipriani's and Guastavino's, both close to the Ziegfeld and boasting room for a 1,000-plus partygoers.

Lundberg prefers the New York Public Library, which she used for last year's "Cold Mountain" afterparty. "It's just beautiful and so spacious that when you do a screening at the Ziegfeld, you're able to accommodate almost every guest at the party," she says.

As for the parties themselves, Guastavino's special-event planner Stacey Rauchbach says they can cater to specific themes, "but most of the time, I've been finding that everyone wants it to be just straightforward. It's more about people celebrating what they've accomplished than it is about the entertainment."