I have to admit I was a bit wary of attending a glitzy film premiere…in a mall. Stars and gowns don’t mix with a browse around Claire’s Accesssories in my book. But Disney’s May 9 launch of Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time turned out to be quite impressive.

About 1825 people saw the film at the Vue Westfield on that Sunday evening — seven screens of the all-digital facility were employed, I felt lucky to be in the same theatre with Jakey G and Gemma Arterton’s big dress.

The 5,000 fans seemed to enjoy lining the red carpet inside and outside the mall (not just any ol’ mall, by the way, it’s a huge and posh complex), and various levels provided more unique vantagepoints than the typical pens in Leicester Square. A stage set up in the centre of the mall provided a perfect backdrop for star and filmmaker interviews as well as for some fancy parkour displays.

Not content with the almost 7000 people at Westfield, Disney also carried the event live at 20 regional cinemas in the UK, and more than 10,000 people watched the premiere globally online from Mexico to Italy to Japan.

All in all, the atmosphere and organization were impressive considering it was Westfield’s first huge film event (Iron Man 2 had been cancelled due to the ash cloud.) And as Leicester Square will undergo a refurb later this year, Westfield proved itself to be a solid alternative. Or maybe I’m just a girl who likes an excuse to combine work and shopping…