AMC Theatres Won’t Screen AI Short Film ‘Thanksgiving Day’ That Sparked Online Outrage: We Will ‘Not Participate’
AMC Theatres has opted out of screening the AI-generated short “Thanksgiving Day,” which won a film festival contest whose prize included showcasing the winner at cinemas across the U.S.
Earlier this week, the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival announced the victorious project would be granted a two-week run in nationwide theaters. The festival was organized by Screenvision Media, an advertising company that supplies the 20-minute pre-show engagement that runs before the feature presentation at major theater chains, including some AMC locations as well as Classic Cinemas and TCL Chinese Theatres. Exhibitors, however, don’t seem to have been involved in the terms of the Frame Forward contest.
“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,” a spokesperson for AMC said in a statement. “AMC was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative and has informed Screenvision that AMC locations will not participate.”
Created by Igor Alferov, “Thanksgiving Day” used AI software, including Gemini 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro, to craft an intergalactic story about a bear and his platypus assistant who encounter all kinds of characters as they travel through the galaxy.
AI has been a widely dissected topic as Hollywood grapples with the opportunities and consequences of using such tools for making movies and television. In Variety and CNN’s recent town hall conversation with Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet, the two A-listers talked about the entertainment industry’s need to brace itself for the rise of AI.
“It’s coming. It’s already here. Don’t deny it,” McConaughey said. “It’s not going to be enough to sit on the sidelines and make the moral plea that, ‘No, this is wrong.’ It’s not gonna last. There’s too much money to be made, and it’s too productive. So I say: Own yourself. Voice, likeness, et cetera. Trademark it. Whatever you gotta do, so when it comes, no one can steal you.”
Chalamet said although he’s preparing for potential harms, he believes the business will find a healthy way to embrace the rapidly developing technology.
“I’m fiercely protective of actors and artists in this industry,” Chalamet said. “And equally, whatever tide is coming, it’s coming.”
Earlier this week, the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival announced the victorious project would be granted a two-week run in nationwide theaters. The festival was organized by Screenvision Media, an advertising company that supplies the 20-minute pre-show engagement that runs before the feature presentation at major theater chains, including some AMC locations as well as Classic Cinemas and TCL Chinese Theatres. Exhibitors, however, don’t seem to have been involved in the terms of the Frame Forward contest.
“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,” a spokesperson for AMC said in a statement. “AMC was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative and has informed Screenvision that AMC locations will not participate.”
Created by Igor Alferov, “Thanksgiving Day” used AI software, including Gemini 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro, to craft an intergalactic story about a bear and his platypus assistant who encounter all kinds of characters as they travel through the galaxy.
AI has been a widely dissected topic as Hollywood grapples with the opportunities and consequences of using such tools for making movies and television. In Variety and CNN’s recent town hall conversation with Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet, the two A-listers talked about the entertainment industry’s need to brace itself for the rise of AI.
“It’s coming. It’s already here. Don’t deny it,” McConaughey said. “It’s not going to be enough to sit on the sidelines and make the moral plea that, ‘No, this is wrong.’ It’s not gonna last. There’s too much money to be made, and it’s too productive. So I say: Own yourself. Voice, likeness, et cetera. Trademark it. Whatever you gotta do, so when it comes, no one can steal you.”
Chalamet said although he’s preparing for potential harms, he believes the business will find a healthy way to embrace the rapidly developing technology.
“I’m fiercely protective of actors and artists in this industry,” Chalamet said. “And equally, whatever tide is coming, it’s coming.”