Actress Kristen Bell and screenwriter Rob Thomas dedicated the world premiere of the Veronica Mars movie adaptation to the cult show's fans on Saturday (08Mar14) as it received its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

The stars unveiled the film version of the teen detective series at the Paramount Theater, a year after launching their groundbreaking fundraising campaign to continue the Veronica Mars story on the big screen.

Introducing the film to the fan-filled crowd, Thomas thanked studio executives at Warner Bros. for backing his project and then told the audience, "We would not exist without you."

The screening was followed by a question and answer session with Thomas, Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring and Chris Lowell, among others, as they basked in the glory of achieving their crowdfunded dream.

Expressing her gratitude to the show's devotees, Bell said, "This is such an extra-special experience. It's so humbling to know that the reason we're here is because of our Kickstarter friends. We don't take that lightly that you guys are the reason this movie got made."

A second premiere event was held nearby later on Saturday for investors who had donated $750 or more.

The Veronica Mars movie will open in theatres on 14 March (14), on the first anniversary of the Kickstarter.com fundraiser, which smashed its $2 million target in less than 24 hours and went on to raise a total of $5.7 million by its 30-day deadline.

The original TV series ran for three seasons before it was axed in 2007.