Lead
AMC Theatres has declined to participate in a planned national pre-show run of an AI-generated short after social media backlash. The short, Igor Alferov’s Thanksgiving Day, was announced as the winner of the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival and was slated for a two-week national exposure via Screenvision Media’s pre-show. AMC told The Hollywood Reporter it was not involved in creating the content and has informed Screenvision it will not run the film in its locations. The decision leaves uncertain whether other chains that carry Screenvision content will screen the short.
Key Takeaways
- The winning short is Thanksgiving Day, directed by Igor Alferov; the festival prize included a two-week national pre-show engagement.
- Screenvision Media, which programs advertising-driven pre-shows, manages the pre-show that would have carried the film and supplies content to multiple chains.
- AMC said the Screenvision pre-show runs in fewer than 30 percent of its U.S. locations and that AMC was not involved in creating the film or the initiative.
- Social media criticism prompted AMC to tell Screenvision its locations will not participate; Screenvision did not immediately comment publicly.
- Festival co-organizer Modern Uprising Studios (MUS) and Joel Roodman said the theatrical run was an initial prize and pointed to future immersive venue plans in New York.
- Runway’s 2025 AI Film Festival previously screened AI shorts in 10 IMAX theaters in August, a more limited precedent for theatrical AI content.
- Deadline reported Alferov used AI tools including Gemini 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro in making Thanksgiving Day.
- The short’s narrative follows a bear and his platypus assistant traveling through a galaxy in a dumpster-like spacecraft, encountering corrupt space cops and unusual services.
Background
AI-generated imagery and storytelling have moved quickly from experimental tools into festival circuits and marketing. Filmmakers and technologists have increasingly used generative models for animation, visual effects and editing, prompting debates over authorship, credit and labor implications across Hollywood. Pre-show networks such as Screenvision provide a distribution channel that sits between studios and exhibition chains; they curate short-form content and ads that run before feature presentations in many cinemas.
The Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival is an early institutional effort to showcase AI-driven animation to broader audiences, positioning winners for both festival exposure and commercial exhibition. Traditional exhibitors — studio chains and independent operators — have varied appetites for AI work, balancing audience interest, union and industry relationships, and brand risk. The theatrical window and the shared-cinema experience remain important cultural and commercial touchpoints for exhibitors, a fact cited by festival organizers advocating careful but continued experimentation.
Main Event
The controversy began when the festival announced Alferov’s Thanksgiving Day as its winner and said the award included a national theatrical run via Screenvision’s pre-show programming. Social media reaction to the idea of AI-driven content appearing before mainstream features quickly intensified, with many users calling on major exhibitors not to endorse AI-generated films. That online uproar focused attention on AMC because of its size and public profile, even though Screenvision’s pre-show runs across multiple chains.
After inquiries from The Hollywood Reporter, AMC issued a statement saying the content was an initiative from Screenvision Media, that AMC had not been involved in the film’s creation, and that fewer than 30 percent of AMC’s U.S. locations carry the Screenvision pre-show. AMC added it had told Screenvision its locations would not participate in screening the winner. Screenvision did not immediately issue a public comment to reporters.
Modern Uprising Studios and festival co-organizer Frame Forward responded through a statement from Joel Roodman, MUS’s president and studio head, framing the theatrical exposure as an initial prize and signalling plans to adapt content for a separate immersive-venue network called Celeste’s Massive Immersive, with a first New York site planned within a year. Roodman characterized shared theatrical experiences as culturally important and said MUS intends to continue bringing new content to evolving exhibition spaces.
Analysis & Implications
The episode highlights how distribution intermediaries can spark controversy even when major exhibitors are not directly involved in creative decisions. Screenvision operates in a space that connects advertisers, content creators and multiple chains; a festival prize routed through that channel can create the public impression of chain-level endorsement. For large exhibitors such as AMC, reputational caution can be as consequential as contractual or legal considerations when responding to sudden social-media-driven controversies.
For filmmakers and festivals working with generative tools, the incident underlines the fragility of pathways from festival recognition to mainstream exposure. While Runway’s 2025 festival shorts found a limited theatrical outlet in IMAX venues, a planned national exposure tied to a major exhibitor would have been a different scale. Pushback from parts of the public, and likely from guilds and unions concerned about labor and creative credit, could slow or reshape theatrical access for AI-originated work.
Commercially, exhibitors must weigh audience curiosity against potential backlash that could affect ticket sales or brand perception. Some chains may test limited or curated AI showcases, others may require clearer disclosures about methods and authorship, and some will avoid the category entirely. Over the medium term, the business model for short-form AI content — whether in pre-shows, immersive venues, or streaming platforms — will depend on demonstrated audience demand and the industry’s ability to set transparent standards for credit and compensation.
Comparison & Data
| Program | Scope | Exhibition Type |
|---|---|---|
| Frame Forward winner (Thanksgiving Day) | Planned two-week national pre-show (claimed) | Screenvision pre-show (chains) |
| Runway 2025 AI Film Festival | Festival shorts shown | 10 IMAX theaters (August 2025) |
These two instances show different scales: Runway’s festival shorts reached a small set of premium IMAX screens in a curated run, while Frame Forward’s prize, as announced, aimed for broad pre-show exposure through a distributor that serves multiple chains. The practical difference matters: pre-show placement reaches mainstream audiences across many showtimes but can be perceived as endorsement by the hosting chain, while specialty screenings attract festival and cinephile audiences with clearer context.
Reactions & Quotes
Industry response has been mixed: AMC publicly distanced itself and Screenvision — the intermediary — declined immediate comment. Festival organizers defended theatrical presentation as a way to expand audience experience for new forms of filmmaking.
“This content is an initiative from Screenvision Media… AMC was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative and has informed Screenvision that AMC locations will not participate.”
AMC Theatres (statement to The Hollywood Reporter)
AMC’s statement framed the chain’s decision as a non-involvement and a refusal to participate, emphasizing the limited footprint of Screenvision within AMC locations. The company’s wording focused on operational separation rather than evaluating the film’s creative merits.
“The national theatrical run, while truncated, is only an initial prize exposure for the winning film… The traditional theatrical chains are vital to our cohesion as a society, and are duly cautious [about AI].”
Joel Roodman, president and studio head, Modern Uprising Studios
Roodman’s remarks positioned the theatrical run as a beginning rather than an endpoint and signalled alternative exhibition plans through immersive venues. His comments framed experimentation with AI as part of a broader evolution in cinematic language and spaces.
Unconfirmed
- Whether any other theatrical chains will run Thanksgiving Day in Screenvision pre-shows remains unconfirmed and publicly unresolved.
- Details and timelines for Celeste’s Massive Immersive venues, including the planned New York location within a year, are announced by MUS but lack independent verification.
- Any internal Screenvision communications about the festival placement and subsequent outreach from AMC have not been released publicly and remain unverified.
Bottom Line
The dispute over Thanksgiving Day illustrates how quickly AI-created work can become a flashpoint when distribution intermediaries tie festival prizes to mainstream exhibition. For exhibitors, the episode underscores reputational and operational risks when content origins and public sentiment collide. For creators and festival organizers, it highlights the need for transparent disclosure about methods and for clearer pathways that reconcile innovation with industry norms on credit and labor.
Watch for two developments: whether Screenvision places the short with other chains and how exhibitors, unions and audiences respond to further attempts to bring AI-originated films into conventional theatrical windows. The outcome will shape not only who sees these works on the big screen, but how the industry negotiates the balance between technological innovation and established creative and commercial practices.
Sources
- The Hollywood Reporter — news report quoting AMC and festival statements.
- AMC Theatres — corporate/exhibitor website and public statements.
- Screenvision Media — corporate site for the pre-show and advertising network.