AMC Theatres Refuses to Screen AI Short Film "Thanksgiving Day"

AMC Theatres told Screenvision Media in February 2026 that its locations would not participate in screening "Thanksgiving Day," the winning short from the inaugural Frame Forward Animated AI Film Festival. TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood also withdrew its locations, effectively blocking the film from the mainstream theatrical venues the festival prize had promised.

The pullbacks came after news of the film's planned national theatrical release triggered a swift wave of online criticism directed at AI generated animation appearing in major cinema chains alongside studio releases.

The Film and the Prize

"Thanksgiving Day" is an animated short by Kazakhstani filmmaker Igor Alferov. The film follows a bear and his platypus assistant aboard a spacecraft resembling a dumpster, traveling through the galaxy and encountering corrupt space police and an unusual food delivery service. Alferov created it using Google Gemini 3.1 and additional AI tools, with Topaz Video AI for post processing.

The Frame Forward Animated AI Film Festival, organized by Modern Uprising Studios and Screenvision Media, ran its inaugural edition in late 2025 and early 2026. "Thanksgiving Day" beat two other finalists through public vote to claim the grand prize: a national theatrical release through Screenvision's advertising network in pre show slots across U.S. theater chains. The judging panel included Google's Neil Parris and industry leaders from Screenvision, Modern Uprising Studios, and TIME Studios.

AMC's Statement

AMC issued a formal statement drawing a line between the chain and the festival arrangement: "This content is an initiative from Screenvision Media, which manages pre-show advertising for several movie theatre chains in the United States and runs in fewer than 30 percent of AMC's U.S. locations. AMC was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative and has informed Screenvision that AMC locations will not participate".

The statement clarified that Screenvision operates only in a minority of AMC locations and that AMC had no role in the festival or prize structure. TCL Chinese Theatre issued no public statement but also confirmed its withdrawal, according to Variety.

The Backlash

Online criticism spread rapidly after news of the theatrical prize circulated in February. Critics described the film with phrases including "hot garbage" and objected broadly to an AI generated short appearing in mainstream cinema settings. Much of the criticism centered not on the film's artistic qualities but on what the theatrical screening would signal: a major exhibitor network treating AI generated animation as equivalent to conventionally produced work.

The response did not challenge the legitimacy of the festival. "Thanksgiving Day" won a real competition with real judges from Google, Modern Uprising Studios, and the distribution industry. The objection was to where the prize led.

The Festival's Position

Festival organizers defended the film directly. Joel Roodman, president of Modern Uprising Studios, called "Thanksgiving Day" a "masterclass in original storytelling". Neil Parris of Google, who served on the judging panel, described it as "imaginative and funny" and cited the film as evidence of "AI's ability to unlock imagination for animated storytelling".

Modern Uprising Studios acknowledged the theater chain withdrawals and indicated it would develop alternative venues for AI generated content going forward.

A New Line in Exhibition

The Frame Forward result exposed a gap between what AI film festivals can promise as prizes and what exhibition chains will honor under public pressure. A national theatrical release through Screenvision had real value as a prize. But that prize depended on exhibitor compliance, and exhibitors operate independently of the festivals that grant awards.

The backlash against "Thanksgiving Day" came at the same moment Hollywood's guilds were building legal protections for human labor: the SAG-AFTRA four year deal on AI protections reached May 2, and the DGA enters its own contract talks on May 11. Guild negotiations define what studios can do with AI. Exhibition pullbacks, by contrast, reflect what audiences and chains will tolerate at the point of the screen. For AI filmmakers working outside the exhibition network, AI FILMS Studio provides video generation tools that do not depend on distributor or exhibitor approval.

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Sources

Variety | The Hollywood Reporter | Deadline | The Wrap | Fast Company