Nicole Kidman Reveals Surprising Amount She Was Paid for AMC Ad

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Nicole Kidman comes to this place for magic, not money.

The Oscar winner looked back on the making of her now-iconic AMC Theaters ad—which debuted in September 2021—admitting she was motivated by an earnest desire to boost movie attendance after the COVID-19 pandemic rather than scoring a big payday.

“[I] called in all these favors,” she said during an appearance on the March 2 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “We did it for nothing, and then it went off.”

Indeed, Nicole, 58, recruited a creative team including cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and screenwriter Billy Ray to bring the heavily-memed pre-roll segment to life.

“I said, “Should we do this? We need to help the theaters,’” she recalled of her conversation with Billy. “It was during COVID when we did it. The crew that I was working with on Being the Ricardos, I said, ‘Would you guys be willing to do this?’”

“I had no idea that thing was gonna work,” she noted. “We did it out of the purest of intentions.”

The Big Little Lies star’s efforts certainly paid off, as the ad continues to dazzle moviegoers—so much so that she previously addressed the possibility of creating another marketing video.

Todd Owyoung/NBC

“Maybe, yes,” she exclusively told E! News in October 2024. “Yes, you need to talk to Adam [Aron, CEO of AMC Theaters].”

In fact, Nicole—who shares kids Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, with ex Keith Urban as well as Bella, 33, and Connor, 31, with ex Tom Cruise—hinted that plans were already in motion to produce another commercial.

“We're in the making,” she continued. “I'm using a Practical Magic term: There's things brewing.”

While you wait for Nicole’s next AMC campaign, keep reading for a look at all the ways she’s made movies better over the years…

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Dead Calm

Nicole Kidman made her onscreen debut in 1983, but it was her breakout role alongside Sam Neill and Billy Zane in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm that really put her on the map.

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Days of Thunder

In 1990, Kidman starred as Tom Cruise's love interest in this high-octane drama, and the pair married later that year.

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Far and Away

The power couple teamed up again for director Ron Howard's epic romance, playing Irish immigrants hoping to claim land in 1890s America.

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To Die For

The Aussie actress earned her first Golden Globe for this critically-acclaimed satirical comedy about an ambitious TV reporter.

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Batman Forever

In 1995, she starred in her first superhero movie, playing Dr. Chase Meridian opposite Val Kilmer's Batman.

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Practical Magic

In this beloved 1998 comedy, Kidman joined forces with Sandra Bullock to play witchy sisters Sally and Gilly Owens.

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Eyes Wide Shut

Before their divorce in 2001, Kidman and Cruise appeared onscreen together one last time in Stanley Kubrick's erotic drama.

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Moulin Rouge!

In 2001, she picked up her first Oscar nomination for her role as Satine in the dazzling hit musical.

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The Others

Switching gears once again, Kidman delivered a spooky turn and a twist ending in this supernatural horror.

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The Hours

Kidman scored her first Oscar win in 2002, playing the writer Virginia Woolf.

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Bewitched

While Bewitched didn't cast a spell at the 2005 box office, Kidman was widely praised for her comedic turn a opposite Will Ferrell.

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The Golden Compass

In 2007, she stole the show as the wicked Mrs. Coulter in this fantasy adventure film based on the books by Philip Pullman.

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Rabbit Hole

The actress earned her third Oscar nomination for this 2010 drama, starring alongside Aaron Eckhart as a couple dealing with the aftermath of their child’s death.

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Paddington

It was back to villain mode in 2014, playing an evil taxidermist who was trying to stuff poor Paddington and display him in the Natural History Museum.

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Lion

Kidman starred as adoptive mother Sue Brierley in this heartwarming true story that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

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The Killing of a Sacred Deer

In 2017, she joined Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan in this critically-acclaimed and very creepy psychological thriller by director Yorgos Lanthimos.

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Aquaman

She dove back into the superhero realm in 2018 by playing Atlanna, the mother to Jason Momoa's Aquaman.

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Big Little Lies

Kidman joined the all-star cast of Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, and Laura Dern in HBO's hugely popular limited series, earning herself an Emmy and a Golden Globe along the way.

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Bombshell

She portrayed Gretchen Carlson in this 2019 drama about the downfall of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.

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The Undoing

She teamed up with Hugh Grant to star in this psychological drama, which ended up being HBO's most-watched show of 2020.

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AMC Theatres ad

She created one of the pop culture moments of 2021 by declaring, "heartbreak feels good in a place likе this" for AMC.

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Nine Perfect Strangers

Kidman's hotstreak on TV continued into 2021 with her role as the mysterious host of a wellness resort in this Hulu drama series.