If you've been to an AMC theater in the past year, you've probably seen Nicole Kidman give a passionate speech about her love for cinema before your movie plays. "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this," is the iconic line from AMC's advertisement, which sees Kidman watching various blockbusters on the big screen as she describes the emotional feeling of watching films.
The promotional material began airing last year, with AMC calling it "the biggest advertising campaign any theater chain has ever made, starring Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman." Now, the theater chain is going to ride on the success of their advertisement, announcing a sequel is in the works, according to reports from Vanity Fair. Billy Ray wrote the original, and movie enthusiasts may recognize his name. Ray is a screenplay writer in Hollywood, behind movies such as Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games, Shattered Glass, and Gemini Man.
When asked about returning for a second advertisement, Billy Ray had no hesitation, telling Vanity Fair, "I'm very, very excited about it. 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," he says. "So it's a very, very different approach that is a little bit of a wink to the one we've already done." Billy Ray puts the audience's mind at ease, saying Kidman will return once again. "Of course, it's with Nicole. I'm not doing this without Nicole." Whatever Nicole Kidman and Billy Ray come up with, fans can be sure it will be the highest quality commercial on the market.
Billy Ray Wanted To Do the First Commercial For Free
Billy Ray had no idea the first commercial would be such a success, telling Vanity Fair, "Nobody saw this coming." When the screenwriter was first approached with the idea, Ray thought he would do it for free as a favor to Kidman. The pair previously worked together on the 2015 film Secret in Their Eyes, and he wanted to help a friend.
"When Nicole first asked me to do it, I was just doing it as a favor. I said I would do it for free just because I'm a fan and a friend of hers. My agent said, 'No, that's not what's happening here. You need to be paid for this.' And it turns out my agent was right, because it's had real value."
As far as the progress for the next commercial? It's already written. Ray says, "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. It's already written." Billy Ray and Nicole Kidman are set to pair up again for the film The Silent Wife, a suspense thriller that Ray adapted from the novel by A.S.A Harrison. Look out at your nearest AMC theater to catch the sequel to Kidman's iconic commercial, which should roll into production soon. The original commercial, still playing in theaters, can be found below.