LAS VEGAS — For decades, studios have gone all out in presenting their upcoming slates to theater owners. On Tuesday, Sony outshone them all when worldwide distribution president Rory Bruer carried a baby bear onto the stage at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace — only the tiny cub peed all over him.
The cool-headed Bruer handled the situation with as much aplomb as possible. He was already dressed for an awards dinner for Dick Cook, so he quipped: “I hope Dick Cook understands.”
In truth, Bruer left immediately afterward to go to his room and change.
Sony’s presentation at CinemaCon included a full-length screening of the upcoming Kevin James comedy Zookeeper. The baby bear — along with a veritable menagerie — were brought in as a promotional stunt. Sony turned the lobby of the Colosseum in a mini zoo, with a lion and a lioness, a zebra, a crocodile and a monkey. There also was a man walking around with two snakes wrapped around his shoulders and neck.
The bear incident elicited some of the biggest laughs of the exhibition convention and is sure to go down in CinemaCon history as an unforgettable moment.
Earlier at Sony’s afternoon presentation, Cameron Diaz — who stars in Sony’s upcoming R-rated comedy Bad Teacher — received CinemaCon’s female star of the year award. Drew Barrymore, who starred with Diaz in the Charlie’s Angels franchise, presented the award.
“Thanks, poo-poo,” Diaz said.
Diaz said that 15 years ago, she received the star of the future award at ShoWest (the previous name of CinemaCon). Diaz thanked both Sony and theater owners for supporting her career through the years. She also gave a shout-out to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Tom Rothman before introducing clips from Bad Teacher.
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