‘Saw X’ promo hilariously spoofs Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad about the magic of cinema

‘Somehow, self-amputation feels good in a place like this,’ says Billy the Puppet

Published On
Sep 14, 2023
Nicole Kidman in her AMC spot, next to Billy the Puppet in the new "Saw X" promo

Editor's Pick

Nicole Kidman’s overwrought 2021 spot for AMC Theatres, about the magic of the moviegoing experience, was much-memed at the time. But now, almost exactly two years later, Lionsgate delivers the ultimate parody—recreating it almost shot for shot, but with Billy the Puppet from the “Saw” franchise holding forth on what he enjoys watching at the movies.

Let’s just say it’s not romantic comedies.

 

“We come to the theaters to scream, to beg, to play,” Billy says ominously. “That indescribable feeling you get when the lights flicker on and off and your calls for mercy go unanswered. And you wake up chained in a dirty warehouse, somehow still breathing. Blood-soaked blades on a huge silver screen. Fear that I can feel. Somehow, self-amputation feels good in a place like this.”

That’s an amusing tweak on Kidman’s infamous line from the original spot, created by ad agency Barkley: “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.”

 

The promo, advertising the upcoming “Saw X” movie coming Sept. 29, was posted to YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. Hours later, it was taken down. Fans have speculated that AMC took exception to the parody, though neither Lionsgate nor AMC has commented on the takedown.

“Shooting in the Lionsgate theater with the original animatronic puppet, we engineered every shot and every line of dialogue with satirical precision, creating a shot-by-shot homage … with a few extra-gory details,” said Unobtainium Agency, which created the promo.

Getting movie fans back into cinemas has been a priority for theaters since the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, Regal Cinemas was the latest to create advertising around the topic—with a series of amusing spots from agency Quality Meats.