“A crime of the highest order”: Nicole Kidman fans lose it over ‘Babygirl’ making this one change to their theater experience

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson starrer Babygirl (coupled with Nosferatu) has to be the best Christmas gift for cinema lovers. But something’s got them riled up. Turns out, they are enjoying Babygirl, but not what’s happening before the film. Or rather, what’s not happening.

We come to theaters for magic. And a surprising lot of us come to this place to watch Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad before our film plays. Ever since the ad dropped, in which Kidman waxes eloquent about the movie-going experience, it’s gone on to become a pop culture phenomenon, spawning discourse, memes, and even parodies. Remember when THE Morgan Freeman spoofed it during Kidman’s AFI Life Achievement Tribute?

Usually ads before a film that you’re dying to watch might feel irksome. But not this ad; this one has our attention still. It’s like an amuse bouche before an exciting meal. So imagine you’re seated for Babygirl, a highly anticipated Nicole Kidman movie about female pleasure that’s about to transport you into a trance as soon as the lights dim. And you’re waiting for this meta moment where Kidman’s silky voice in the AMC ad practically narrates exactly what your movie-watching experience will be.

But Nicole never comes, never says those magical words, and you go straight to the movie…. Utter heartbreak, right?

Fans who experienced this ‘betrayal’ have taken to social media to call out the AMC ad being removed from the screenings of Babygirl. Their disappointment is palpable, as if the magic has gone out of their lives. One of them called it “a crime of the highest order.” Another remarked just how shocked and confused people were when the ad, which seems like it has been around forever, simply did not play before the movie. One user even asked for a refund, because what was even the point without Kidman telling you “We come to this place for magic”?

On the one hand, it is merely an advertisement we’ve seen enough times and not a big deal. On the other, you can’t deny it isn’t hilarious to watch people losing it over something so trivial. I mean, I get it. While change is the only constant, we are averse to abrupt changes that push us into unfamiliar territory without a warning. In this uncertain world, we need our comfort blanket, don’t we?

Ultimately, it really proves how much the ad has made a place in the collective psyche of cinema-goers, and how Nicole Kidman is babygirl to her fans! So go on the, can the theaters please put that ad back? After all, there is no such thing as too much Nicole Kidman, is there?