Nicole Kidman AMC Theatres commercial

Last updated

We Make Movies Better
AMC Kidman lights.jpg
Kidman seated and lit from behind by colorful lights emanating from a movie projector. A raised platform was constructed inside the theater to achieve this effect.
Agency Barkley Inc.
Client AMC Theatres
Market
  • United States
  • Europe
LanguageEnglish
Running time
  • 60 seconds
  • 30 seconds
  • 15 seconds
Product
  • Movie theaters
Release date(s)September 2021
Written by Billy Ray
Directed by
Starring
Production
company		Wondros for AMC. Elvis for Odeon Version [1]
Budget$25+ million

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, with its earnestly rhapsodic style and script — particularly the line "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” — developing a certain camp appeal. It has inspired internet memes, parodies, and in-theatre audience participation rituals.

Contents

Description

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg The full 60 second version of the commercial via YouTube

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

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. [6] 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

The ad began airing on television in September 2021. It was also played at AMC's 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

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". [6] 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:

2024 update

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 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] In October 2024, Kidman confirmed that the sequel was in the process. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Kidman</span> American and Australian actress (born 1967)

Nicole Mary Kidman is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses since the late 1990s. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards. She became the first Australian actor to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award honour in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater or cinema, also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing films for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

<i>Scary Movie</i> 2000 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Scary Movie is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, and Dave Sheridan, it follows a group of teenagers who accidentally hit a man with their car, dump his body in a lake, and swear to secrecy. A year later, someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe begins hunting them one by one.

<i>To Die For</i> 1995 film by Gus Van Sant

To Die For is a 1995 satirical black comedy film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Buck Henry based on Joyce Maynard‘s novel of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the story of Pamela Smart. It stars Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix and Matt Dillon, with Illeana Douglas, Wayne Knight, Casey Affleck, Kurtwood Smith, Dan Hedaya, and Alison Folland in supporting roles. Kidman was nominated for a BAFTA, and won a Golden Globe Award and a Best Actress Award at the 1st Empire Awards for her performance. Her character has been described as suffering from narcissistic personality disorder in the scientific journal BMC Psychiatry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cult following</span> Group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of culture

A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book, musical artist, television series, or video game, among other things, is said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fanbase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Grandage</span> British theatre director (born 1962)

Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently artistic director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from 2000 to 2005 he was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Ray (screenwriter)</span> American screenwriter and film director (born 1962)

Billy Ray is an American screenwriter and film director. He began writing for television and movies in 1994 with Color of Night. He has written numerous films including Captain Phillips (2013) and Richard Jewell (2019).

<i>The Invasion</i> (film) 2007 American film by Oliver Hirschbiegel

The Invasion is a 2007 American science fiction horror film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, written by David Kajganich, and starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Unhappy with the original cut of the film, the studio hired The Wachowskis for additional writing and James McTeigue to re-shoot some scenes. The plot follows a psychiatrist (Kidman) in Washington, D.C. who finds those around her turning into emotionless beings shortly after a Space Shuttle crashes to Earth, bringing with it mysterious alien spores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Wouldn't Steal a Car</span> Anti–copyright infringement campaign

"You Wouldn't Steal a Car" is the first sentence of a public service announcement that debuted on July 12, 2004 in cinemas, and July 27 on home media, which was part of the anti-copyright infringement campaign "Piracy. It's a crime." It was a co-production between the Federation Against Copyright Theft and the Motion Picture Association of America in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, and appeared in theaters internationally from 2004 until 2008, and on many commercial DVDs during the same period as an ad preceding the main menu, as either an unskippable or skippable video.

<i>Rabbit Hole</i> (2010 film) 2010 film directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Rabbit Hole is a 2010 American drama film directed by John Cameron Mitchell and written by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his 2006 play of the same name. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a grieving couple coping with the death of their four-year-old son. It also stars Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney, Sandra Oh and Miles Teller in his film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Kidman on screen and stage</span>

American-born Australian actress and producer Nicole Kidman has appeared in numerous film and television projects, as well as in theatre productions. She made her film debut in the Australian drama Bush Christmas in 1983. Four years later, she starred in the television miniseries Bangkok Hilton, for which she received the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama. Her breakthrough role was as a married woman trapped on a yacht with a murderer in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm. She followed this with her Hollywood debut opposite Tom Cruise in Tony Scott's auto-racing film Days of Thunder (1990). Her role as a homicidal weather forecaster in Gus Van Sant's crime comedy-drama To Die For garnered Kidman a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical in 1996. She worked with Cruise again on Ron Howard's Far and Away (1992) and Stanley Kubrick's erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut in 1999.

Meyne Wyatt is an Aboriginal Australian actor, known for his stage, film, and television roles.

<i>Secret in Their Eyes</i> 2015 American film

Secret in Their Eyes is a 2015 thriller film written and directed by Billy Ray and a remake of the 2009 Argentine film of the same name, both based on the novel La pregunta de sus ojos by Eduardo Sacheri. A co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Spain, the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, and Julia Roberts, with Dean Norris, Michael Kelly, Joe Cole, and Alfred Molina in supporting roles.

Anna Ziegler is an American playwright.

Photograph 51 is a play by Anna Ziegler. Photograph 51 opened in the West End of London in September 2015. The play focuses on the often-overlooked role of X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA while working at King's College London. This play won the third STAGE International Script Competition in 2008. The title comes from Photo 51, the nickname given to an X-ray diffraction image taken by Raymond Gosling in May, 1952, under the supervision of Rosalind Franklin. The one-act play runs for 95 minutes with no intermission.

<i>Lion</i> (2016 film) 2016 biographical drama film by Garth Davis

Lion is a 2016 Australian biographical drama film directed by Garth Davis from a screenplay by Luke Davies based on the 2013 non-fiction book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. The film stars Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, and Nicole Kidman, as well as Abhishek Bharate, Divian Ladwa, Priyanka Bose, Deepti Naval, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It tells the true story of how Brierley, 25 years after being separated from his family in India, sets out to find them. It was a joint production between Australia and the United Kingdom.

<i>Being the Ricardos</i> 2021 film by Aaron Sorkin

Being the Ricardos is a 2021 American biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, while J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg are featured in supporting roles.

<i>Saw X</i> 2023 film by Kevin Greutert

Saw X is a 2023 American horror film directed and edited by Kevin Greutert, and written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. The film is the tenth installment in the Saw film series, serving as a direct interquel set between Saw (2004) and Saw II (2005). It stars Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith, who reprise their roles from the previous films, alongside Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach. The film sees John Kramer (Bell) travelling to Mexico in hopes that an experimental procedure may cure his terminal cancer. John later discovers that the operation is a scam, prompting him to kidnap those responsible and subject them to his trademark death traps as retribution, with Amanda Young (Smith) acting as his accomplice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbreak Feels So Good</span> 2023 single by Fall Out Boy

"Heartbreak Feels So Good" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on January 25, 2023, through Fueled by Ramen and DCD2. It was released as the second single from the band's eighth studio album, So Much (for) Stardust.

References

  1. ↑ "Odeon: We Make Movies Better by Elvis".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kring-Schreifels, Jake (March 23, 2022). "How the Magic of Nicole Kidman's Beloved AMC Commercial Was Made". GQ .
  3. 1 2 3 4 Rubin, Rebecca (September 8, 2021). "AMC Theatre Shells Out $25 Million for Ad Campaign to Get People Back to the Movies". Variety .
  4. 1 2 3 4 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 .
  5. 1 2 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.
  6. 1 2 Thomas, Carly (November 25, 2023). "Keith Urban Says Wife Nicole Kidman Never Expected Her AMC Ad to Become "This Cultural Thing"". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  7. ↑ Klee, Miles (February 15, 2022). "The Cult of the Nicole Kidman AMC Commercial". MEL Magazine .
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ Zhan, Jennifer (October 30, 2022). "Best Meme Halloween Costumes 2022: the AMC Commercial, Scary Movie 2, and More". Vulture. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Nolfi, Joey (August 5, 2022). "Heartbreak doesn't feel as good as Nicole Kidman extending her AMC commercial deal for 1 year". Entertainment Weekly .
  11. ↑ Ellwood, Gregory (January 14, 2022). "Nicole Kidman Talks 'Being The Ricardos' & Is Shocked Over The Love For Her AMC Theatres Ad [Interview]". The Playlist.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ "Nicole Kidman's Iconic AMC Commercial Reaches Cult Status on Saturday Night Live".
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ Murphy, Chris (August 31, 2022). "Nicole Kidman's Amazing AMC Ad Is Getting a Sequel". Vanity Fair .
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (October 24, 2024). "Nicole Kidman hides her face when her AMC ad plays at the movies, says new ad is 'brewing'". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.