In September 2021, AMC Theatres began airing a commercial starring actress Nicole Kidman in its theaters and on television.
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.
[5] The ad was shot at the AMC cineplex in Porter Ranch, a suburb north of Los Angeles,[2] during a single weekend while Kidman was on a break from filming Being the Ricardos.
[6] 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.
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.
[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.
[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.
[23] Kidman's commercial was initially set to run until August 2022, for the duration of her one-year contract as the spokesperson for AMC.
[25] 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".