Inside the $3.4BILLION temple to gambling: A-list guests including Mariah, Leo and De Niro, six star hotels and a specially shot Scorsese film at casino opening in Macau, the new gaming capital of world
- Billionaire James Packer opens luxurious new $3.2bn (£2bn, AUS$4.6bn) Studio City Casino complex in Macau
- Launched with the help of Hollywood superstar A-Listers Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese
- Packer's girlfriend Mariah Carey also on hand for opening of lavish 1,600 room complex with pool and lagoon area
- Art-deco inspired build also has priceless artwork, a 130-metre high Ferris wheel and polished marble flooring
Hollywood superstars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese offered a helping hand to Mariah Carey's billionaire boyfriend James Packer as the Australian investor launched his new $3.2billion (£2bn or AUS$4.6bn) super casino in China yesterday.
The three screen icons - paid a reported $12million (£8m, AUS$17m) each just to be there - shared the stage with the power couple and Packer's billionaire friends as they opened the doors of the lavish 1,600 room resort in Macau - affectionately known as 'the Las Vegas of Asia'.
Complete with lagoon swimming pools in the 'Riverscape' water world, priceless artwork and a 130-metre high Ferris wheel suspended between the casino's two towers, the massive complex also features a 'Batman 4D Simulator' and its own arena, where some of the world's biggest names - including Madonna - will perform.
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Hollywood superstars Robert De Niro (third from right), Leonardo DiCaprio (third from left) and Martin Scorsese (second from right) were on hand to help Mariah Carey's billionaire boyfriend James Packer (second from left) launch his new US$3.2billion (£2bn) super casino Studio City
The three screen icons - paid a reported $12million (£8million) each just to be there - shared the stage with the power couple and Packer's investor friends as they opened the doors of the lavish 1,600 room resort in Macau, China
Complete with lagoon swimming pools in the 'Riverscape' water world, priceless artwork and a 130-metre high Ferris wheel suspended between the casino's two towers, the massive complex also features a 'Batman 4D Simulator' and its own arena, where some of the world's biggest names - including Madonna - will perform
Leonardo DiCaprio (left), Robert De Niro (middle) and director Martin Scorsese (right) pose for photos during a launching ceremony of the Studio City project in Macau
James Packer and singer Mariah Carey pose on the red carpet of the opening ceremony for the Studio City project in Macau
Accommodation is divided into two sections, with the 'Star' and 'Celebrity' Tower. The Star Tower has 600 rooms, which the resort describes as 'awe-inspiring', with 'lavish suites with spacious living quarters and exclusive facilities to satisfy the most discerning guests' and spas.
Pictures taken inside the ostentatious casino showcase its art-deco inspired interior, with marble floors and golden accents catching the eye of gamblers pouring money into pokies and pushing it across the mint-condition felt tables.
However, the spectacular surrounds weren't enough to impress everyone, with one photo showing a local woman slumped in a chair sleeping as crowds of people rush past behind her.
Cynics were also quick to criticise, taking aim at well-known environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio's apparent willingness to support a building they described as a fuel-guzzling 'eye-sore'.
Accommodation is divided into two sections, with the 'Star' and 'Celebrity' Tower. The Star Tower has 600 rooms, which the resort describes as 'awe-inspiring', with 'lavish suites with spacious living quarters and exclusive facilities to satisfy the most discerning guests' and spas
Fancy a dip? The resort and casino also features a large lagoon style pool
The A-list stars in attendance earlier dazzled audience members during a press conference ahead of the official opening, which included 'the most expensive advertisement ever' - The Audition, a short-film bankrolled by Packer
The 48-year-old businessman was also joined by best pal and producer Brett Ratner, legendary director Martin Scorsese, De Niro and Leonardo Di Caprio as he and his partner Lawrence Ho (far left) launched their latest project
The men posed with some traditional Chinese dragons as they introduced the film on Tuesday
James Packer could barely contain his joy as he was joined on stage by Robert De Niro at the launch of his new casino in Macau on Tuesday evening
Packer looks on happily as De Niro cracks a joke on stage during the casino's opening night
Packer smiled throughout a press conference to promote The Audition, a short film which he paid De Niro, Di Caprio and Scorsese a cool $17million each to create
Di Caprio was in high spirits as he introduced the film to a small audience in Macau on Tuesday
Di Caprio put on a dapper display in a blue suit, laughing as he joined Scorsese on stage in Macau
Di Caprio showed off his boyish good looks, sporting a neat hairstyle and refined beard and moustache
Scorsese beamed as The Audition was unveiled on Tuesday. The director plays himself in the short film
Eager to make a lasting impression with the resort's official launch, Packer's girlfriend, Mariah Carey, also made an appearance
The A-list stars in attendance earlier dazzled audience members during a press conference ahead of the official opening, which included 'the most expensive advertisement ever' - The Audition, a short-film bankrolled by Packer.
The film promotes the casino resort, which was co-funded by Packer's partner, Lawrence Ho.
Directed by Scorsese and starring Di Caprio and De Niro, the film marks the trio's first collaboration.
Studio City's Ferris wheel, dubbed The Golden Reel, is suspended between the resort's two towers
The entrance to the Studio City Casino features a massive archway that is made to look like a stage curtain being pulled back
The Golden Reel Ferris wheel, some 130 metres high, is seen between the hotel towers
Visitors ride a passenger pod of the Golden Reel ferris wheel at Studio City
An exterior view of Macau's Studio City casino and resort, owned by Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd., in Cotai, Macau
It's a joint venture by Packer and his partner, Lawrence Ho, and is set to become one of China's most popular gambling site
The enormous resort has its own Batman simulator ride, 1600 hotel rooms and a number of other attractions
Playing themselves in the short feature, the Hollywood stars are seen arriving at the Macau casino to audition for the same role in Scorsese's latest film.
Packer beamed as the stars discussed the project on stage, and burst into laughter during a number of De Niro's crowd-pleasing jokes.
It had been rumoured the A-list trio were each paid a cool AUS$17 million for their time, with the entire production setting Melco-Crown back around AUS$96 million.
It is being billed as the ultimate entertainment complex in the gambling destination, known locally as the 'Las Vegas of Asia'
Pictured, from third on the left, co-chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd James Packer, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Edmund Ho, Macau's chief executive Fernando Chui, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd Lawrence Ho and his wife Sharen Lo
Melco Crown Entertainment co-chairman and chief executive officer Lawrence Ho, center, and Packer, right, speak during a news conference at the lavish new resort
Billionaire James Packer has opened the doors of his lavish new $4.5 billion super-casino in Macau, with some of Hollywood's biggest names turning out to help the Australian mogul get the party started
People walk past the entrance to the casino floor at Studio City casino resort
Visitors flood onto the floor of the lavish casino, which is tipped to become the new hub of Macau's massive gaming industry
Visitors take photographs inside Macau's towering $4.5 billion Studio City casino and resort
Eager to make a lasting impression with the resort's official launch, Packer's girlfriend, Mariah Carey, also made an appearance.
Studio City is a joint venture by Packer and his partner, Lawrence Ho, and is set to become one of China's most popular gambling sites.
Unlike other casinos in Macau, Studio City does not have VIP baccarat lounges and will focus instead on mass-market casual gamblers, in a sign of the times for the world's largest gambling hub.
Visitors walk inside Macau Studio City casino and resort, owned by Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd, in Cotai, Macau
A woman sleeps in a chair during the opening of the luxurious resort and casino
It is being billed as the ultimate entertainment complex in the gambling destination.
However after recently announcing plans to build another site in Sydney, Packer said his Australian project would take priority.
'In my business life there is nothing more important than Crown Sydney. It’s going to be the most expensive building ever built per square foot and we want to make it very special,' he told The Herald Sun.
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