AMC Theatres blocks AI-generated film after social media outcry over creative rights

AMC Theatres Reverses Course on AI-Generated Film Screening

AMC Theatres has pulled an AI-generated film from its screens following intense social media outcry, marking another flashpoint in the escalating war over AI in Hollywood 1

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. The Thanksgiving Day short film, created by Kazakhstani filmmaker Igor Alferov, had won the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival and was slated for a two-week nationwide run through pre-show advertising 4

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The nation's largest theatrical exhibitor clarified that it "was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative" and has informed Screenvision Media that AMC locations will not participate 1

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. Screenvision Media, a cinema advertising company that manages pre-show advertising for several theater chains, runs content in fewer than 30 percent of AMC's U.S. locations 4

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Social Media Outcry Drives Decision

When news broke on Wednesday that the AI-generated short was playing before trailers at select AMC Theatres locations, movie lovers across social media platforms immediately voiced their opposition 2

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. Some called for boycotts, while others found it insulting that if pre-show screen time were being allocated to short films, AMC would feature AI-generated content rather than human-made movies. One disgruntled user described the move as "hot garbage" 2

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The Thanksgiving Day short film follows a bear and his platypus assistant traveling through the galaxy in a dumpster-shaped spacecraft. Alferov used AI tools including Gemini 3.1 and Nana Banana Pro, relying on keyframing methods and anchor frames to guide motion, with post-processing in Topaz Video AI 1

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. "For me, AI is not a replacement for creativity, but a powerful 'exoskeleton' for the imagination, enabling a single person to build entire worlds," Alferov stated 1

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Hollywood's Battle Over Intellectual Property Rights

The AMC standoff arrives as the entertainment industry's fight over AI shifts from rhetoric to action. In December, the Creators Coalition on AI, co-founded by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and backed by more than 500 signatories including Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, and Guillermo del Toro, launched to push for enforceable rules governing how AI is trained and deployed 1

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SAG-AFTRA, which struck for 118 days in 2023 over AI protections, has condemned synthetic performers as "a threat to human entertainers," warning producers they "may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations" 1

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. Matthew McConaughey recently secured eight federal trademarks, including a sound mark on his "Alright, alright, alright" catchphrase, to deter unauthorized AI replication 1

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. At a town hall, McConaughey urged fellow actors to take control: "Own yourself. Voice, likeness, et cetera. Trademark it. Whatever you gotta do, so when it comes, no one can steal you" 1

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The Future of Creativity Hangs in the Balance

The number of AI studios blanketing Hollywood, along with venture capital dollars to power them, is increasing at an astonishing rate. Runway AI revealed a new cash raise of $315 million, while Saudi Arabia led a $900 million funding round for Luma 3

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. Google, Runway and former TikTok majority owner ByteDance have all released new models in 2025, seeking to jump-start a market of creators using AI tools 3

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Yet Big Tech's push faces significant resistance. A post-Super Bowl survey of 500 Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers found that "AI missed big time," with respondents reacting negatively to ads with AI messaging. "Gen Z/Alpha expressed strong negative feelings toward AI and AI-created ads," the research firm concluded 3

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. A major flash point came with the release of Seedance 2.0, a video tool that prompted Netflix to warn ByteDance executives that "Seedance acts as a high-speed piracy engine" 3

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. The Motion Picture Association followed with a cease-and-desist letter calling infringement "a feature, not a bug" of the product 3

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While this wouldn't represent the first time AI content has played in theaters—AI shorts from Runway's 2025 AI Film Festival played in 10 IMAX theaters in August—it would likely be the first time a narrative AI film received nationwide exposure in cinemas 4

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. Whether end users will embrace the fruits of generative AI remains the central question facing Hollywood in 2025, as professionals from writers to directors express concern about jobs and creativity lost 3

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