Nicole Kidman's viral AMC Theatres ad, which turned into an internet punchline, is getting a sequel that will be 'very different' and 'wink' at the original
- A follow-up to Nicole Kidman's AMC Theatres ad has already been written, its writer told Vanity Fair.
- The original ad, which debuted last year, became a viral meme with a cult following.
A follow-up to actress Nicole Kidman's AMC Theatres ad is in the works, according to its writer.
You know the one: Kidman walks into an empty theater and sits down. The lights dim, with only the light from the film projector behind her, before she says the instantly quotable (and memeable), "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this."
The original ad debuted almost exactly one year ago, and its writer, Billy Ray, says that he's already written a sequel.
"I got a text from the chairman of AMC about a month ago asking me if I would write the next one, and of course the answer to that is yes," Ray told Vanity Fair. "It's already written."
An AMC spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
A follow-up commercial was expected after AMC announced last month that it had renewed Kidman's contract for another year, though it's unclear when the new one will debut.
"All I can tell you about it is we are not dumb enough to fly in the face of the one we've already done and try to top it," Ray said. "So it's a very, very different approach that is a little bit of a wink to the one we've already done."
The original ad quickly became an internet meme, and has since gained somewhat of a cult following, particularly the "heartbreak" line. There are plenty of shirts that quote it for sale on Etsy, for instance.
Kidman was shocked to learn how viral it had become in an interview with The Playlist in January.
"It's a great line, right?," Kidman said. "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."
The news of a follow-up ad comes as movie theaters enter a slow period after a promising summer. Thousands of theaters across the US will try to entice moviegoers with "National Cinema Day" on Saturday, by offering tickets for any screening at no more than $3.