Star Wars: The Force Awakens wins three top prizes at the MTV Movie Awards

With the audience at Warner Bros. Studios waving red and blue lightsabers, Ridley and director J.J. Abrams accepted the final golden popcorn trophy at Saturday night's ceremony.

The prize was the highlight of the 25th edition of the annual awards show which presents fan-voted film awards and is noted for its laid-back and irreverent vibe.

Will Smith and Melissa McCarthy each received special prizes. Smith told the audience that he is "dedicated to being a light in this world" when he accepted the Generation Award.

"I want to help people," Smith said after being introduced by Queen Latifah and Halle Berry. "I want to be a light. I want to display love. I want to play roles that have dignity. I want to help in this world."

McCarthy, who won the Comedic Genius Award, said that while she is the first woman to receive the recognition, "I am certainly, certainly not the first one to deserve it."

Charlize Theron won the first award of the night: best female performance for Mad Max: Fury Road.

"The story of Fury Road is in part a story of the power of women and the power to create our own destinies," Theron said.

The film was also honoured by the event's hosts Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart who opened with a Mad Max-style opener, riding through the auditorium in a truck.

Later, they performed a rap song about the year's films that repeated a swear refrain about DiCaprio being eaten by a bear in The Revenant.

Other winners included Chris Pratt (action performance for Jurassic World), Amy Poehler (virtual performance as Joy in Inside Out) and Straight Outta Compton, which won for true story. Ryan Reynolds won comedic performance and best fight two prizes for Deadpool which he shared with Ed Skein.

The ceremony also included new footage from Suicide Squad and Captain America: Civil War. Eddie Redmayne unveiled a new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Ridley and Abrams accepted the night's top prize from Samuel L Jackson and Alexander Skarsgard, co-stars in the forthcoming The Legend of Tarzan. Skarsgard came onstage wearing a tuxedo jacket and no trousers, saying: "You got to give the fans a little skin."

Here is the full list of winners:

Movie of the Year

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Female Performance

Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Male Performance

Chris Pratt (Jurassic World)

Breakthrough Performance

Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Best Comedic Performance

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)

Best Action Performance

Chris Pratt (Jurassic World)

Best Hero

Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2)

Best Villain

Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Best Virtual Performance

Amy Poehler (Inside Out)

Documentary

Amy

True Story

Straight Outta Compton

Ensemble Cast

Pitch Perfect 2

Best Kiss

Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine (Pitch Perfect 2)

Best Fight

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) vs. Ajax (Ed Skrein) (Deadpool)

MTV Generation Award

Will Smith

Comedic Genius Award

Melissa McCarthy

The MTV Movie Awards are set to air in the early hours of Sunday on MTV