Nicole Kidman’s second crack at starring in ads for the AMC movie chain — after her first AMC “heartbreak” ad campaign in 2021 went viral — was panned in the pop-culture zeitgeist after premiering March 1.
Some fans vented their displeasure on X after the first new ad appeared — feeling let down after the “Expats” star’s original ad was both beloved and lampooned when it first appeared in AMC theaters 2½ years ago.
“So the new Nicole Kidman AMC ad is almost exactly the same. It’s like one line different and she’s watching Elvis and Avatar 2 instead of Wonder Woman and La La Land,” @awkwardpancake wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Indeed, the new ad has been tweaked from the original version — and even removed Kidman’s iconic line from the 2021 version: “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.”
The new campaign, which will play in AMC Theatres, kicked off Friday and will consist of three ads.
AMC will rotate in two other never-before-seen-in-theaters versions of the original pre-show ad over the coming months.
In the new ad unveiled Friday, Kidman appears in the same jumpsuit as she did in the original, but instead of watching scenes from “La La Land” and “Creed” flicker on the screen, she’s watching scenes from “Avatar: The Way of Water” and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.”
According to Adweek.com, Kidman’s dialogue is also slightly different — “that indescribable feeling when the lights begin to dim — dazzling images on a huge silver screen, beautiful music soaring through me,” and the ad’s new kicker is: “That’s magic.”
“I need whoever’s idea it was to cut the Nicole Kidman AMC commercial shorter to be held accountable,” @boredandtiredok wrote on X. “They need to pay for their crimes. This should count as treason and I’m so serious …”
Another X poster, @jupesclaim, also decried the shortened ad.
“Just finished watching dune 2 and my biggest take away is that THEY SHORTENED THE NICOLE KIDMAN AD?? need 5-10 business days to grieve this i fear,” they wrote.
Meanwhile, @icka_pendrick took offense to AMC removing Kidman’s original tagline from the 2021 ad.
“New Nicole Kidman advert, they removed the iconic line: ‘heartbreak feels good in a place like this.’
“BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL OG CUT OF THE NICOLE KIDMAN COMMERCIAL #AMC,” allonsy_alyson wrote on X.
Another X user, @realjaredgilman, claimed that the new ad was an edited knockoff of the original. “Finding out that the new nicole kidman amc ads are just alt takes of the original,” he wrote over a photo of James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” with the lines, “How can this happen? How could this happen?”
“Babe, wake up! AMC released a new version of the Nicole Kidman ad with one new clip and one and a half new lines!” X user @michaelcollado posted on X.
Not all the criticism was harsh, however.
“Overall it’s solid but not on the level as the original ad,” @ccortave24 wrote on X. “It’s gonna take some time getting used to but it was awesome seeing Nicole before a movie again this year!”
AMC released a statement explaining the new campaign before the first new ad dropped.
“The main theme of the campaign remains the same: With state-of-the-art technology, luxurious amenities, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, AMC Theatres is the ultimate destination for moviegoers seeking unparalleled cinematic experiences,” the statement read.
“Quite simply, We Make Movies Better.”
The original ad featured the elegantly dressed Oscar winner walking into an AMC theater after a rainstorm (“We come to this place for magic”) and walking up the aisle to take her seat as she rattled off reasons that people love the movies so much. (“That indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim.”) She then took her seat in the empty theater and watched clips from movies including “La La Land,” “Creed” and “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.”
(There were different movies shown in the 15 and 30-second versions of the ad.)
Kidman then delivered the tagline, “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.”
The ad immediately entered into pop-culture lore … and even has its own Wikipedia entry.
The commercial was lampooned in a skit on “Saturday Night Live,” in which Chloe Fineman played the Australian actress as a cult-like leader with superpowers entrancing an entire movie audience — ending with a popcorn-munching moviegoer (Kenan Thompson) blurting out, “What the f – – k just happened?”
Jimmy Kimmel also poked fun at the ad in his opening monologue at the 2023 Oscars — with Kidman in the audience.
“I also want to say that I am happy to see that Nicole Kidman has finally been released from that abandoned AMC, where she’s been held captive for almost two full years now,” Kimmel joked at the time.
“It’s good to have you back, Nicole, and thank you for encouraging people who were already at the movies to go to the movie theater.”
Last November, Kidman’s husband, Keith Urban, said his wife was surprised at the reaction to the viral ad, which was also turned into a widely circulated meme.
“She did it because we love movies, she loves movies, and it was hard times for the theater,” Urban said on Criss Angel’s podcast, “Talking Junkies,” acknowledging how movie theaters struggled during the coronavirus pandemic.
“So AMC asked her if she’d do an AMC commercial and it was a no-brainer for her to be a part of that, never in a million years expecting that to be this cultural thing.”
The commercial was such a talker that GQ did an entire story on its formation in 2022 — in which the “Big Little Lies” actress deemed it a success.
“But what I can tell you is that the reaction is a direct result of the amount of people going back to theaters to enjoy the movies. And that is exciting,” she said.
In September 2022, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray told Variety: “I was trying to think, ‘What do I so cherish about the movie-going experience?’ And, ‘Why is it so important for people to hear stories along with 1,000 other strangers?’
“And what occurred to me was there are certain cathartic experiences that movies provide for us,” he said, referring to the “hearbreak” line.
“We see our characters go through hell, and we get to cry about that,” continued Ray. “There’s something very cleansing about it because it feels bad. But it doesn’t feel like what they’re feeling. They’re walking through the feeling for us. They’re walking through the devastation for us. And, so, our heartbreak does feel good in a place like that.”
