AMC has drawn a hard line, as the movie theater chain confirms that it will not be playing AI short titled Thanksgiving Day at any of its theaters.
Thanksgiving Day, which was created by Igor Alferov, follows a bear and his platypus assistant as they travel across space. The short leveraged AI technology, like Gemini 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro.
It won the Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival contest, andas part of the prize, the short was purportedly meant to have a two-week run in movie theaters across the country.
To achieve this, the festival worked with distributor Screenvision Media: an advertising company that is responsible for the 20 minutes of pre-cinema content before the film starts for movie theatres like Classic Cinemas, TCL Chinese Theatres, and select AMC locations.
"This content is an initiative from Screenvision Media, which manages pre-show advertising for several movie theatre chains in the United States and runs in fewer than 30 percent of AMC’s U.S. locations," an AMC spokesperson said. "AMC was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative and has informed Screenvision that AMC locations will not participate."
The Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival was organized by Modern Uprising Studios. In a statement defending the use of AI in film, senior VP of production and strategy Sverre Norfliet said: "Rather than existing separately, theatrical and immersive will work in tandem, deepening audience engagement, enriching cultural impact, and extending the life of stories and franchises."
"MUS immersive is set to become an enabling layer across the creative and commercial lifecycle by helping storytellers build richer worlds, supporting the theatrical window with compelling events, and opening new avenues where audiences will participate in narrative universes," he added.
Internet users were split
Over on X, internet users were divided over AMC's decision. "Good," one wrote. "Theaters, studios and creatives need to form a united front against AI slop."
"Good for AMC!" a second concurred. "Hope the others step up." While a third theorized: "AI is just the next step in the de-evolution of the human mind. The less we use it the more reliant we are on technology for answers that we use to have."
On the other side, a fourth said: "Just makes everyone want to see it. Give it up. AI is here to stay. We just need to learn to play nice."
While a fifth claimed: "This old world is burying itself: a pity for it. AI will only strengthen its autonomy in the face of these oppositions: the internet versus movie theaters, new AI characters versus actors… Replacement instead of hybridization."
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