AMC pulls AI film after massive online backlash
The internet pretty much just bullied a movie off the big screen.
An AI-generated short film by Igor Alferov was supposed to get a nationwide theater run by AMC Theatres. Instead, it got dragged online so hard that AMC backed out before it could even roll.
The film was supposed to hit theaters… until the internet found out
The short film, Thanksgiving Day, won an AI film festival with a pretty wild premise: a bear and a platypus flying through space in what’s described as a dumpster-shaped spaceship. Built using AI tools, including Google’s Gemini and Nano Banana Pro, it was set to run in theaters across the U.S. as part of the pre-show.
But once people realized an AI-generated film was about to show up in theaters, reactions online were not gentle. The criticisms came quickly, with many pushing back on the idea of theaters giving space to AI-generated content, especially when human creatives are already navigating job uncertainty.
Others were just confused by the film itself, with some describing it as feeling more like a stitched-together trailer than an actual story.
Whatever the criticism may be, it was clear the movie wasn’t something audiences were ready to embrace.
AMC quickly stepped away from the whole thing
The issue turned into enough noise that AMC, the largest theater chain in the U.S., basically said, “yeah, we’re out.”
They did not even try to defend it or spin it. They just clarified that the film was not their idea and confirmed it would not be shown in their theaters.
Other chains didn’t seem eager to jump in either. So just like that, the whole rollout lost momentum.
This isn’t really about a space bear movie
To be honest, nobody was lining up specifically for this film. The issue gained more ground because of what it represents.
From AI-generated actors to automated scripts, there’s ongoing tension around how far these tools should go, and who they replace along the way.
This moment just brought that debate into a very visible, very public space. Because unlike the use of AI in writing and editing, this wasn’t happening behind the scenes. This was AI content showing up where people expect something crafted, not generated. And as it turns out, people are up for AI “revolutionizing” everything but the arts.
