Dictator hijacks Cinema Con

Sacha Baron Cohen came to Paramount Pictures’ CinemaCon presentation on Monday with a warning to theatre owners who aren’t on board with exhibiting his new movie The Dictator.

“There are bigger bombs than John Carter,” Baron Cohen, decked out as his despotic strongman character from the film, told theatre owners. He said that exhibitors who were hesitant to put his movie on their screens should check beneath their seat for an explosive surprise.

In a night overflowing with tributes to Paramount’s centennial, Baron Cohen engaged in some spotlight thievery.

Flanked by female guards, Baron Cohen took the stage, greeting theatre owners with “death to the West.”

He then claimed that Roger Ebert had given The Dictator, which opens on May 16, two thumbs up, before producing bloody prop thumbs to prove his point.

He also ribbed Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Dreamworks Animation chief on hand to present footage from Rise of the Guardians and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.

Saying he had been informed that he was the only dictator presenting at the Las Vegas trade show, Baron Cohen joked, “Imagine my surprise when I find out Jeffrey Katzenberg was here.”

Baron Cohen was not the only star who took the stage at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Monday night. Chris Rock, Chris Pine and Dwayne Johnson were on hand as Paramount gave theatre owners a peek of its upcoming films.

Johnson wasn’t just there to sell his upcoming stint in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. He also picked up an award from Cinemacon, which named him Action Star of the Decade.