For most of 2020, movie theaters were closed due to the pandemic. They finally reopened last year, and more people started to see films again in person when the vaccine became available. One major change made to AMC Theatres last year was the promo that plays before every movie. It features Oscar-winning actor Nicole Kidman promoting AMC, and the video has become a fan-favorite online. Kidman’s tribute to the movies has been turned into memes, t-shirts, and more. Turns out, Kidman wasn’t fully aware of her AMC ad’s impact until she was discussing her new movie, Being the Ricardos, with The Playlist.ย
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“Oh, the only reason I know is because Adam Aron, the head of AMC, sends me these tidbits saying, ‘Oh, thank you.’ Because Jeff Cronenweth shot it, he and his brother, and he shot [Being the Ricardos],” Kidman replied when asked if she knew how beloved the promo is. “And the reason he shot it was because I was doing Lucy, and then I said, ‘Listen, I’ve been asked to support AMC, would you be willing?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah.’ And then Billy Ray, a friend of mine, I was like, ‘Billy, will you be able to do something, write something for us? Should we do this to support AMC?’ And Billy’s like, ‘Hell yes.’ So that was how that all came about, basically. And then I was like, ‘Gosh, I mean…’ But I’ve never seen it in the theater or anything. I showed up to show a screening of Lucy, of Being the Ricardos, and Adam was there, but Adam’s kind of a rock star. He’s very popular.”
“Are you kidding?,” Kidman replied when The Playlist told her the line “Somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this,” is now printed it on T-shirts. Kidman’s publicist chimed in, “People have printed it out and handed it out in a theater so they could read it with you before a movie.”
“What?,” Kidman replied. “Yes. It is a thing,” The Playlist assured the star. “No,” she added in disbelief. “Yes,” they replied. “What?,” she asked again. The Playlist also explained that fans were upset when the promo was cut down from a minute to 30 seconds, removing the most popular line.
“But it’s a great line, right?,” Kidman added. “It’s so true. How true is it too? … “I mean, talk about not feeling alone, sitting in a cinema with a broken heart, and then watching something that breaks your heart again, and you go, ‘I’m not alone.’ Please. This must not go away. We have to have cinema.”
Finally, when The Playlist pointed out that “these little sparks of light that prove movie theaters are gonna be O.K,” Kidman made it clear that she wants her next film to be released on the big screen. “Well, The Northman‘s going to be in theaters. We made Northman to be in theaters. It better be in theaters.”
How do you feel about Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad? Tell us in the comments!ย
