AI-generated film controversy erupted this week after AMC Theaters said it would no longer screen a prize-winning short created with artificial intelligence, following intense online backlash.

The short, titled “Thanksgiving Day” by Igor Alferov, had won first prize at the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival. As part of that award, the film was set to receive a two-week national theatrical run across major chains, including AMC, appearing during the pre-show advertising segment before feature presentations.

But once news of the distribution spread, criticism mounted quickly — much of it aimed squarely at AMC, the world’s largest movie theater chain.

AI-Generated Film Sparks AI Film Festival Theater Backlash

After being contacted by The Hollywood Reporter, AMC issued a statement distancing itself from the decision to distribute the AI-generated film and confirmed it would no longer show it at its locations.

“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 US locations,” AMC said. “AMC was not involved in the creation of the content or the initiative and has informed Screenvision that AMC locations will not participate.”

The controversy marks another flashpoint in what many see as growing AI film festival theater backlash, as audiences push back against artificial intelligence entering traditional creative spaces.

“Thanksgiving Day” is described as following a bear and his assistant platypus traveling through the galaxy on a spaceship resembling a flying dumpster. The short unfolds in a commercial-style montage format, which some viewers online criticized as visually disjointed.

According to reports, the project was created using Gemini 3.1 for writing and Nano Banana Pro for generating imagery. Joel Roodman, head of Modern Uprising Studios and a co-organizer of the festival, described the work as a “masterclass in original storytelling.”

AI Art Resistance Hollywood Cinema Debate Intensifies

This isn’t the first time AI-driven filmmaking has reached theatrical screens. In August, several AI-produced films were showcased at ten IMAX locations as part of Runway’s AI Film Festival. That event also drew mixed reactions, with many critics expressing skepticism.

The removal of the AI-generated film from AMC underscores the broader AI art resistance Hollywood cinema conversation currently unfolding. As artificial intelligence tools become more sophisticated, questions about creative authenticity, artistic labor and audience acceptance are increasingly moving from online forums into real-world distribution decisions.

For now, AMC’s decision signals that audience sentiment can still influence exhibition strategy — especially when new technology intersects with deeply rooted creative traditions.

Whether AI filmmaking continues to gain mainstream theatrical space or faces further resistance may depend as much on public perception as on technological capability.