Keith Urban Wasn’t Expecting That Beloved AMC Ad Starring His Wife Nicole Kidman To Blow Up Either

Going to the movies is always hit and miss, but if you visit AMC Theatres you’re guaranteed to be entertained by one thing: that beloved Nicole Kidman ad. It was intended to simply lure moviegoers back to theaters as the pandemic eased up, but when the chain started playing it two years ago, it was an instant hit. It’s so popular that they’ve never stopped showing it. Heck, they’re even sworn to do a sequel, although how does one improv on perfection Its success has surprised everyone, even Kidman’s own husband.

Per HuffPost, country star Keith Urban went on Criss Angel’s podcast Talking Junkies, where he opened up about why his wife did the ad — and how it unexpectedly blew up.

“She did it because we love movies, she loves movies, and it was hard times for the theater,” Urban explained. “So AMC asked her if she’d do an AMC commercial and it was a no-brainer for her to be a part of that, never in a million years expecting that to be this cultural thing.”

It sure has turned into a cultural thing. By now, over two years in, it’s a fixture of the moviegoing experience, at least at AMC. It’s like a palette cleanser, playing after 20+ minutes of trailers and right before the feature. Some audiences ignore it. Others shout Kidman’s lines back at the screen, Rocky Horror-style. Certain lines have even become almost iconic, none moreso than “Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” It’s even spawned parodies, like the one for Saw X.

A few months into the ad’s lengthy life, The Playlist asked Kidman about its freak mega-popularity, particularly the “heartbreak” bit, which she agreed was a “great line.”

“It’ so true. How true is it too” she said. “I mean, talk about not feeling alone, sitting in a cinema with a broken heart, and then watching something that breaks your heart again, and you go, ‘I’m not alone.’ Please. This must not go away. We have to have cinema.”

Anyway, may AMC never stop playing it.