2021 movie theatre commercial
We Make Movies Better
Agency
| Barkley Inc.
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Client
| AMC Theatres
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Market
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Language
| English
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Running time
|
- 60 seconds
- 30 seconds
- 15 seconds
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Product
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Release date(s)
| September 2021
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Written by
| Billy Ray
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Directed by
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Starring
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Production
company
| Wondros for AMC. Elvis for Odeon Version
[1]
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Budget
| $25+ million
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In September 2021,
AMC Theatres
began airing a commercial starring actress
Nicole Kidman
in its theaters and on television. The ad, written by screenwriter
Billy Ray
, was intended to spur theater attendance following the
COVID-19 pandemic
by highlighting the "magic" of the movie theater experience. In the ad, Kidman enters and sits alone in an empty AMC theater while delivering a monologue describing in heightened language the pleasures of the moviegoing experience, such as the "indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim and we go somewhere we've never been before".
The commercial became a surprise hit among audiences, who came to appreciate the unintentional
campiness
of its earnestly rhapsodic style and script, particularly the line "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this". It has inspired
internet memes
, parodies, and in-theatre audience participation rituals.
Description
[
edit
]
The ad begins outside an AMC cineplex, with a shot of high-heeled shoes stepping through a puddle, reflecting an illuminated "AMC" sign. Kidman lowers an oversized ("
Jedi
-like") hood and enters the building, making her way into an empty theater.
[2]
She takes her seat, the lights dim, and clips from a number of films appear onscreen before her, including
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(2015),
Jurassic World
(2015),
Wonder Woman
(2017),
La La Land
(2016) and
Creed
(2015). Throughout the 60-second spot, Kidman delivers a rhapsodic monologue on the pleasures of the moviegoing experience, partly via
voice-over
and partly delivered straight to camera. The commercial ends with the AMC Theatres logo and the tagline "We make movies better". Throughout the ad, Kidman wears a gray-blue suit with shiny silver
pinstripes
. The 30 and 15-second versions change the films Kidman watches on the screen, including
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
(2018) and
A Star is Born
(2018). The 2024 update changed the films to
Elvis
and
Avatar: The Way of Water
(both 2022).
Production
[
edit
]
The commercial was directed by brothers
Jeff Cronenweth
and Tim Cronenweth.
[3]
Kidman suggested the duo after having worked with Jeff Cronenweth on the 2021 film
Being the Ricardos
.
[2]
Kidman also selected friend and screenwriter
Billy Ray
to write the commercial's script. Kidman had previously worked with Ray on the 2015 film
Secret in Their Eyes
.
[4]
Barkley Inc.
worked with AMC on the campaign.
[5]
The ad was shot at the AMC cineplex in
Porter Ranch
, a suburb north of Los Angeles. An elevated platform was constructed for Kidman to sit on to achieve a shot where beams of light from the
movie projector
play around her head.
[2]
The ad was conceived at a time when AMC Theatres, and movie theaters as a whole, appeared to be in a precarious situation, with audience numbers still far below levels from before the COVID-19 pandemic (see
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema
).
[3]
Kidman's husband
Keith Urban
explained that it was "a no-brainer" for Kidman to participate in the commercial since "she loves movies" and it was a way to help theater because of the pandemic.
According to
Variety
, AMC spent $25 million on the ad campaign, with television airtime being the highest expense.
[3]
The 60-second commercial was also edited down to 30 and 15-second versions.
[4]
Release
[
edit
]
The ad began airing on television in September 2021. It was also played at AMC 600 United States theater locations, as well as in nine European countries through
Odeon Cinemas Group
after the coming attractions.
[5]
[7]
According to AMC, this was the first national ad campaign from a movie theater chain.
[3]
Impact
[
edit
]
The commercial's grand style and the earnest melodrama of Kidman's monologue has led the commercial to be appreciated as an artifact of
camp
.
[2]
The commercial has been the subject of
internet memes
, parodies, merchandise, and
audience participation
rituals.
[2]
The line "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this" has been singled out as particularly memorable. Reflecting later on the commercial's impact, Billy Ray stated that this was "the best line I ever wrote".
[2]
In-person demonstrations of affection for the ad by theater-goers have included cheering (particularly at the line "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this"), saluting,
[4]
and reciting the script in time with Kidman.
[2]
According to
Vanity Fair
, fans of the ad have also created shirts with Kidman's face on them, mash-up videos,
TikToks
, and even an eight-minute shot-by-shot analysis.
[8]
The outfit Kidman is wearing in the ad has also become a very popular meme and become quite popular to dress up as during 2022. According to Vulture, it was one of the "Best Meme Halloween Costumes" of 2022.
[9]
According to Ray, the chairman of AMC reported observing these unexpected audience reactions within weeks of the ad's debut.
[4]
A significant indicator of the commercial's cult following came in December 2021 when AMC began showing a reduced 30-second version in theaters in conjunction with the release of
Spider-Man: No Way Home
, which omitted the "heartbreak" line. The decision sparked outraged responses from fans, including a jocular
Change.org
petition demanding that AMC restore the "Kidman cut" (an allusion to the "
Snyder cut
" campaign). AMC relented and returned to showing the full-length version.
[2]
Kidman expressed surprise upon hearing of the ad's following in a January 2022 interview.
[10]
[11]
Urban noted that he and Kidman never expected "in a million years... that [it would] be this cultural thing".
At the
95th Academy Awards
, host
Jimmy Kimmel
included a joke about the ad during his opening monologue.
[12]
Some of the various parodies included:
- The
season 48
premiere of
NBC
's
Saturday Night Live
in October 2022, with
Chloe Fineman
as Kidman. The sketch received strong positive response from viewers and fans, who praised its faithfulness to the commercial.
[13]
- A trailer for
Saw X
(2023) in September 2023, with
Billy the Puppet
(voiced by
Tobin Bell
) in Kidman's place and watching scenes from the film in the theater.
[14]
Shortly after it went viral online,
Lionsgate
received a takedown notice, according to
Josh Stolberg
.
[15]
- The opening segment of
Live with Kelly and Mark
'
s 2024 "After the Oscars" show parodies the commercial, with hosts
Kelly Ripa
and
Mark Consuelos
in Kidman's place watching themselves on the screen starring in parodies of
Barbie
(2023),
The Princess Bride
(1987),
A Few Good Men
(1992),
Basic Instinct
(1992) and
Dirty Dancing
(1987).
[16]
- Olivia Rodrigo
in March 2024 to promote her concert in
Montreal
.
[17]
- Babyface
in April 2024 to reveal his
Las Vegas
residency.
[18]
- Morgan Freeman
in April 2024 as a tribute to Kidman at the
AFI Life Achievement Award
event.
[19]
[20]
- The cast of
The Summer I Turned Pretty
, featuring
Gavin Casalegno
,
Lola Tung
,
Christopher Briney
,
Sean Kaufman
, and
Rain Spencer
in June 2024.
[21]
2024 update
[
edit
]
Kidman's commercial was initially set to run until August 2022, for the duration of her one year contract as spokesperson for AMC.
[2]
In August 2022, AMC's CEO
Adam Aron
announced that Kidman would be signed as spokesperson for another year.
[10]
Later the same month, Billy Ray stated that he had written a script for a follow-up, describing it as taking a "very different approach that is a little bit of a wink to the one we've already done".
[22]
By May 2023, a version of another commercial had been written, but Aron was uncertain if that would result in the final product. Aron added that AMC hoped to have the new commercial debut later in 2023 or in 2024 and hoped it would "live up to [audience's] expectations".
[23]
Beginning March 1, 2024, AMC introduced three new 30-second versions of the commercials that would appear before films, on a rotating basis; this was meant to replace the 60-second version that had been in use for the previous four years.
[24]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Odeon: We Make Movies Better by Elvis"
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Kring-Schreifels, Jake (March 23, 2022).
"How the Magic of Nicole Kidman's Beloved AMC Commercial Was Made"
.
GQ
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Rubin, Rebecca (September 8, 2021).
"AMC Theatre Shells Out $25 Million for Ad Campaign to Get People Back to the Movies"
.
Variety
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Rubin, Rebecca (September 2, 2022).
"
'Somehow, Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This': How Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Billy Ray Crafted Nicole Kidman's Iconic AMC Ad"
.
Variety
.
- ^
a
b
D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 8, 2021).
"AMC Theatres Launches First-Ever $25M+ National Ad Campaign With Nicole Kidman, "We Make Movies Better"
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
October 2,
2022
.
- ^
Klee, Miles (February 15, 2022).
"The Cult of the Nicole Kidman AMC Commercial"
.
MEL Magazine
.
- ^
"Nicole Kidman's AMC Theaters Promo Is Only Slightly More Creepy As 'Saturday Night Live' Parody"
.
Vanity Fair
. October 2, 2022
. Retrieved
December 2,
2022
.
- ^
Zhan, Jennifer (October 30, 2022).
"Best Meme Halloween Costumes 2022: the AMC Commercial, Scary Movie 2, and More"
.
Vulture
. Retrieved
December 2,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Nolfi, Joey (August 5, 2022).
"Heartbreak doesn't feel as good as Nicole Kidman extending her AMC commercial deal for 1 year"
.
Entertainment Weekly
.
- ^
Ellwood, Gregory (January 14, 2022).
"Nicole Kidman Talks 'Being The Ricardos' & Is Shocked Over The Love For Her AMC Theatres Ad [Interview]"
.
The Playlist
.
- ^
Knolle, Sharon (March 12, 2023).
"Jimmy Kimmel Pokes Fun at Austin Butler, Nicole Kidman's AMC Ad and Pauly Shore in Delightful Oscars Monologue"
.
TheWrap
. Retrieved
March 16,
2023
.
- ^
"Nicole Kidman's Iconic AMC Commercial Reaches Cult Status on Saturday Night Live"
.
- ^
Nelson, Dustin (September 13, 2023).
"Saw X parodies Nicole Kidman's AMC ad: 'Somehow, self-amputation feels good in a place like this'
"
.
Entertainment Weekly
.
Archived
from the original on September 13, 2023
. Retrieved
March 28,
2024
.
- ^
Thrash, Steven (September 13, 2023).
"AMC Don't Want to Play with Jigsaw; Demand Removal of Saw X Parody of Nicole Kidman's Ad Campaign"
.
MovieWeb
.
Archived
from the original on March 5, 2024
. Retrieved
March 5,
2024
.
- ^
SchneiderIlana, Michael (March 5, 2024).
"
'Live With Kelly and Mark' Hosts Preview Their Post-Oscar Special ? and Parody That Nicole Kidman AMC Spot (EXCLUSIVE)"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on March 5, 2024
. Retrieved
March 28,
2024
.
- ^
Kaplan, Ilana (March 27, 2024).
"Nicole Kidman Approves of Olivia Rodrigo's Recreation of AMC Theatres Ad: 'Won Me Major Points with My Girls'
"
.
People
.
Archived
from the original on March 27, 2024
. Retrieved
March 28,
2024
.
- ^
Dailey, Hannah (April 10, 2024).
"Babyface Announces Las Vegas Residency With Spoof of Nicole Kidman's AMC Theaters Ad"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on April 10, 2024
. Retrieved
April 11,
2024
.
- ^
Davis, Clayton (April 27, 2024).
"
'Generous,' 'Elegant,' 'The Heart of a Lioness': Nicole Kidman Showered with Compliments at AFI Life Achievement Award Ceremony"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on April 27, 2024
. Retrieved
April 28,
2024
.
- ^
Tinoco, Armando (April 27, 2024).
"Morgan Freeman Spoofs Nicole Kidman's Viral AMC Spot At AFI Life Achievement Award Gala"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on April 27, 2024
. Retrieved
April 28,
2024
.
- ^
Tinoco, Armando (June 10, 2024).
"
'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Cast Spoofs Nicole Kidman's Viral AMC Spot"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on June 10, 2024
. Retrieved
June 10,
2024
.
- ^
Murphy, Chris (August 31, 2022).
"Nicole Kidman's Amazing AMC Ad Is Getting a Sequel"
.
Vanity Fair
.
- ^
Devore, Britta (May 2, 2023).
"Sequels Feel Good in a Place Like This, AMC CEO Confirms New Nicole Kidman Ad Coming Soon"
.
Collider
. Retrieved
May 2,
2023
.
- ^
Goldsmith, Jill (February 28, 2024).
"AMC Theatres Enters "Phase 2" Of Nicole Kidman Preshow Campaign With Trio Of New Spots"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
February 29,
2024
.
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Locations
| States and D.C.
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Territories and
other areas
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Ships
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Responses
| Government
response
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Private
response
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Impacts
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Notable
people
| Federal
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State and
local
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Scientists
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