Private Screening

The never-ending Covid pandemic hit the world economy hard last year, causing billions in lost sales and forcing numerous businesses to close for good.

Movie theaters in particular were dealt a near fatal blow, as they were shuttered for nearly a year. Since their entire business model depends on people leaving the house and showing up in person, this was a huge problem. Even after finally reopening, audiences still haven't returned to pre-Covid levels.

In a desperate attempt to remind the public that they still exist, the AMC theater chain has recently begun airing TV commercials featuring Nicole Kidman. In them, the former Mrs. Cruise strolls wistfully through a movie theater, gushing about the shared audience experience or something, and how awesome it is to watch a film on the big screen.

Eh, I dunno... Say, AMC— I'm not a marketing expert or anything, but if you're trying to convince people that cineplexes are so amazing, maybe show Nicole Kidman sitting in a packed house, rather than wandering through a cavernous, completely EMPTY theater. 

Seriously, what addle-brained executive thought this commercial was a good idea? It looks like a trailer for an end of the world pic, featuring Kidman as the sole survivor of a pandemic as she visits places she used to love, that are now empty and silent save for the sound of the howling wind scouring the deserted landscape.