AMC cancels pre-show screening of AI short after online backlash

Moviegoers in the US were supposed to get their first taste of a theater-screened AI short film next month. Instead, the whole thing just blew up in the cinema chain's face.

AMC Theatres announced it will refuse to screen Thanksgiving Day, an AI-generated animated short that recently won the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival. The backlash online was swift and brutal after news broke that the winner was slated for a nationwide, two-week theatrical run before feature films.

The pre-show sneak attack

The short film, directed by Kazakhstani creator Igor Alferov, follows a bear and his platypus sidekick drifting through space in a ship that looks like a dumpster. According to Deadline, Alferov pieced the project together using AI tools including Gemini 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro.

Critics immediately took aim at AMC, accusing the cinema giant of surrendering theatrical real estate to generative AI. But AMC insisted it had nothing to do with programming the film.

Instead, the initiative came from Screenvision Media, a third-party vendor that sells and manages the 20-minute ad-heavy pre-show reel across multiple chains. Screenvision only operates in fewer than 30 percent of AMC locations nationwide.

AMC wasted no time shutting it down, telling The Hollywood Reporter that it had no involvement in creating or planning the rollout, and flatly informed Screenvision that AMC auditoriums would not take part.

Joel Roodman, head of festival co-organizer Modern Uprising Studios, acknowledged that legacy chains are duly cautious about emerging tech. He said the film will instead pivot to Celeste’s Massive Immersive venues, starting in New York later this year.

Why it matters

This marks the most public, hostile rejection yet of generative AI creeping onto traditional big screens.

Back in August 2025, Runway screened a batch of AI shorts across 10 Imax locations, but that was a specialty, niche event. Thanksgiving Day was poised to be the first narrative AI film given nationwide exposure directly in front of casual, paying moviegoers.

We think AMC’s rapid retreat shows just how raw the industry’s nerves remain. With Hollywood still recovering from strikes centered on artificial intelligence and fair compensation, exhibitors cannot afford to alienate hardcore film fans who view generative tools as an existential threat to real animators.

Trying to sneak an AI festival winner in through a pre-show advertising contractor was a clever workaround, but it completely misjudged audience sentiment. For the average viewer, if it plays on the big screen before the lights drop, it feels like an official endorsement. Until AI filmmakers solve the massive trust gap around creative ethics and artistry, experimental tech showcases and immersive venues will remain their safest bet.