In the eyes of the Academy Awards, “The Hurt Locker” was the Best Picture of 2009. But a loyal army of Twilighters feel differently — and this week, they’re making their opinions known at one of Hollywood’s most visible annual conventions.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” has been selected for the ShoWest/Fandango Fan Choice Award, which will be presented Thursday at ShoWest’s Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas. The Fan Choice Award was voted on by nearly 50,000 moviegoers, who were asked on Fandango to select their favorite film of 2009.
ShoWest, the largest annual convention for the motion-picture industry, is currently under way in Las Vegas. This year’s installment will once again end with the celebrated Banquet and Award Ceremony, where awards will also be presented to Vanessa Hudgens, Zach Galifianakis, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Worthington and Jerry Bruckheimer. Rumor has it that a producer from the “Twilight” series will accept the award, and a special video message from one of the franchise’s top stars will be played for those in attendance.

“You might have guessed that ‘Avatar’ would have won the Fan Choice Award, since ‘Avatar’ was the top ticket-seller in our company’s history,” explained Fandango Chief Marketing Officer Ted Hong. “But never bet against the passion, loyalty and dedication of the vociferous ‘Twilight’ fans.”

The sequel to “Twilight” garnered nearly 66 percent of the vote — although “Hurt Locker” shouldn’t feel too bad, as the same studio (Summit Entertainment) showed off its diversity in 2009 by releasing both films.

“Moviegoers on Fandango have been behind the franchise from the very beginning, and that’s why the first ‘Twilight’ movie won the Fan Choice Award last year,” Hong added. “The big question will be whether or not ‘Eclipse’ will be in the running for next year’s award, and if the franchise can pull off a three-peat.”

“We are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to partner with Fandango to present the ShoWest/Fandango Fan Choice Award at this year’s ShoWest Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony,” ShoWest managing director Robert Sunshine said in a statement. “It is no surprise that the fans have chosen the box-office hit ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ as this year’s recipient, and we are excited to present the film with this award.”