Condemned premieres big

Condemned premieres big

Hell wasn't the only thing raised in Detroit's Fox Theatre at The Condemned world premiere tonight. At the conclusion of the latest release from WWE Films, the entire audience of WWE fans in the jam-packed theater raised to their feet, cheering wildly and waving their middle fingers in the air for Jack Conrad a.k.a. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

An appreciative Austin made a surprise appearance after the movie and addressed all those in attendance.

"To the WWE fans, the Stone Cold fans," he said, "you've always supported me…from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you."

After that, there was only one thing left for Austin and the packed crowd at Fox Theatre: beer crackin'.

Just minutes after the floor of "The Fox" was drenched in hops, suds and crushed aluminum cans, WWE.com spoke with President of WWE Films, Joel Simon.

"This is one of the most spectacular… one of the biggest events I've ever been to," described an ecstatic Simon. "It was fantastic. Listen to the audience's response…they responded to everything. It was an absolutely incredible event."

Director of The Condemned Scott Wiper was astounded by the turnout and the throng of 5,000 supportive WWE fans.

"Whether you're a novelist, a filmmaker, a painter, sculptor…I'm always a believer that you want to share what you do with people," explained Wiper. "And there's no greater moment then when finally you work on something for a year-and-a-half and you can unveil it to a group of rowdy fans."

Of course, the Austin-crazed WWE fans in attendance had plenty to say about Stone Cold's performance, and the innovation brought to the big screen by WWE Films.

"The whole damn movie was great," exclaimed Tony Belcuore. "The fight scenes, the explosions…everything was awesome. I'm definitely going to own this movie when it comes out on DVD, and I'll go back and see it in theaters."

Belcuore's sister had a similar opinion.

"I thought it was absolutely awesome," said Gina Belcuore. "All WWE movies have been phenomenal, but Stone Cold did great. I liked how he kept coming back and kicking ass. It couldn't have been better!"

One WWE fan came a very, very long way to enjoy the festivities of WrestleMania week and the premiere of Austin's film.

"I came from Israel to see WrestleMania and The Condemned," said Rom Ungr. "I loved it. If I could tell the WWE fans one thing about the movie: Awesome."

One WWE fan was surprised by the underlying message weaved into the plot of The Condemned.

"The movie was interesting from a societal perspective," Gerard Bonner said. "I thought it was an incredible movie, and it was a role that perfectly fit [Austin]. The crowd went crazy whenever he went on the screen. It's a quality film. Stone Cold: Great job. WWE Films: God bless you!"

The resonating impact of this premiere is something that another WWE fan, Daniel Brehmer will feel for some time to come.

"It was crazy in here tonight," Brehmer said. "The concept of the movie was sweet too. I've been waiting for a movie like this."

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