‘Barbie’ Actress Ariana Greenblatt to Receive Rising Star of the Year Award at CinemaCon

CinemaCon continues to confirm honorees for its Big Screen Achievement Awards, adding actress Ariana Greenblatt to the roster.

Greenblatt will be presented with a rising star of the year trophy at a ceremony inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 11. The honor follows Greenblatt’s role in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster Barbie, and arrives months ahead of her follow-up in Eli Roth’s Borderlands opposite Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Édgar Ramírez and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The Big Screen Achievement Awards, hosted by official presenting sponsor the Coca-Cola Company, will also see honors doled out to Amy Poehler (vanguard award), Lupita Nyong’o (star of the year), Shawn Levy (director of the year), Joseph Quinn (breakthrough performer of the year award) and Dan Stevens (excellence in acting award).

“Acting since the age of 6, Ariana Greenblatt has a résumé that already includes such high-profile films as Avengers: Infinity War, The One and Only Ivan, In the Heights, 65, and of course, the top grossing film of 2023, Barbie,” explained CinemaCon managing director Neuhauser. “To say that her star is on the rise is a true understatement. Next up is the eagerly anticipated Borderlands that will undoubtedly continue this young star’s trajectory towards stardom.”

Borderlands, Lionsgate’s adaptation of the video game, hits theaters on Aug. 9, 2024. Blanchett stars as an infamous bounty hunter, Lilith, with a mysterious past who reluctantly returns to her home planet, Pandora. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramírez). Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits including Roland (Hart), Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tannis (Curtis) and Claptrap (Black). Roth directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Joe Crombie. The film is produced by Ari Arad, Avi Arad and Erik Feig, with executive producers Tim Miller, Ethan Smith, Louise Rosner, Emmy Yu, Lucy Kitada, Randy Pitchford and Strauss Zelnick.

Greenblatt’s early credits include Disney Channel’s Liv and Maddie and Nickelodeon’s Duda Brothers before she booked a breakout role in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, followed by LucasFilm’s Ahsoka, Netflix’s Awake, Paramount Pictures’ Love and Monsters, Dreamworks’ The Boss Baby: Family Business and STX’s A Bad Moms Christmas.

CinemaCon will be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from April 8-11. The event hosts north of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all corners of the industry including exhibition, distribution, marketing, promotion, equipment and concession areas. The International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) are on board as trade show partners, with Coca-Cola serving as the official presenting sponsor.