Sandra Bullock and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson were among the early winners at the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The annual awards show, which began in 1992, took place in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday but the winners were not revealed until the ceremony was broadcast on Monday evening local time.

Host Zachary Levi opened the programme, with jokes about Johnson, Kim Kardashian West and Dave Bautista.

2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards – Show
Sandra Bullock won the award for most frightened performance for Bird Box (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Bullock was the first big winner of the night, taking home the prize for most frightened performance for her role in Netflix horror Bird Box.

The film featured Bullock trying to protect her two children from supernatural monsters who make people go insane by locking eyes with them.

Bird Box sparked a wave of internet memes thanks to the sight of Oscar-winner Bullock wearing a blindfold.

During her acceptance speech, mother-of-two Bullock said she took the film because “it was about family”.

She added: “And when I finished the film, I went to my babies and said ‘here, mommy made this for you and even though you can’t see it until you’re 21, because apparently a movie about being a mommy is a horror film, you will know when you see it, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you’.”

Former professional wrestler Johnson was honoured with the generation award, formerly known as the lifetime achievement award.

Since making the switch from WWE to Hollywood with 2002 action film The Scorpion King, Johnson, 47, has become one of the best-paid actors in the world.

2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards – Show
Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, was honoured with the generation award by MTV (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

He has appeared in movies such as The Other Guys, Moana and The Fate Of The Furious.

Johnson took to the stage at Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger to Queen’s We Will Rock You, before telling the audience about his early career in films.

He said producers “didn’t know what the hell to do with me” as a “half-black, half-Samoan, six-foot-four, 275-pounds pro wrestler”.

Johnson added: “So I made a choice, and the choice was I wasn’t going to conform to Hollywood, Hollywood was going to conform to me.

“So Hollywood conformed to me and here I am with all of you receiving the generation award.”

As well as honouring the best in film and TV, the MTV awards show, which is voted for by fans, featured musical performances from stars such as Lizzo and Bazzi.

Since 2017, the acting categories have not been split by gender and winners are handed golden popcorn trophies.

Other winners this year include best TV show Game Of Thrones, A Star Is Born for musical moment and best villain for Thanos from Avengers: Endgame.

Nick Cannon was named best host for fronting Wild ‘n Out, while reality royalty, a new category this year, went to Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.