It was bound to happen. As part of the promotional campaign for the new “Saw X,” due out Sept. 29, Lionsgate has released a parody video of the Nicole Kidman AMC Theatres commercial, featuring the little Jigsaw doll (and his tricycle) in place of Kidman and her sparkly suit. Watch it above.
The video sees Jigsaw riding up to Lionsgate, saying stuff like, “We come to theaters to scream, to beg, to play. That indescribable feeling you get when the lights flicker on and off and your calls for mercy go unanswered.”
Also: “Blood soaked blades on a silver screen. Fear I can feel. Somehow, self-amputation feels good in a place like this.”
It ends with a title card reading, “Traps – They Make Movies Better.”
The Nicole Kidman AMC Theatres ad, which began running in September 2021, was meant to be a way to bolster attendance after the COVID-19 pandemic had threatened the entire industry. The spot was written by screenwriter Billy Ray (the writer-director behind “Shattered Glass” and “Breach”) and directed by Jeff and Tim Cronenweth, who filmed at the AMC Porter Ranch just outside of Los Angeles.
When the spot first premiered, it was genuinely stirring, a love letter to an experience most hadn’t engaged with in over a year. But as the ad continued to play, it became something of a celebratory kitsch artifact. If you have visited an AMC in the Los Angeles area in the past year and people don’t applaud, recite the script or stand up and salute the screen, then something might be wrong with your neighborhood. Now something of an institution, AMC had to re-up their contract with Kidman to make sure it kept playing. They have also since started selling merchandise related to the ad.
Obviously adding Jigsaw (and his tricycle) to the mix is part of this celebration/homage to the ad that has been taking place in theaters for months now. And honestly, it does make you jazzed to see people face disgusting consequences on the big screen.
“Saw X” hits theaters Sept. 29.
