No one can explain it. Somehow, along the space-time continuum of social media existence, the stars align and the internet gods perform miracles that manifest themselves in the form of celebrities becoming viral memes.
And we are forever grateful.
From Ben Affleck being Ben Affleck...
... to Kevin James...
... these memes take the internet by storm and make the rounds on social media, until a new one emerges.
In 2021, Nicole Kidman became the face of AMC theaters—and subsequently a viral meme—for her work in an ad for the largest movie theater chain in the world.
Remember?
AMC Theatres. We Make Movies Better.youtu.be
The commercial spurred a massive online frenzy, with people contributing to the madness with Halloween costumes and more memes (obviously).
An entire SNL sketch was even dedicated to the movement.
On a recent episode of Criss Angel's Talking Junkies podcast, Kidman's husband Keith Urban weighed in on the unexpected trajectory of the commercial's popularity, telling the host neither he nor his wife expected it to "blow up like crazy."
Urban explained:
“She did it because we love movies, she loves movies, and it was hard times for the theater."
“So AMC asked her if she’d do an AMC commercial and it was a no-brainer for her to be a part of that, never in a million years expecting that to be this cultural thing.”
Angel agreed:
"It's incredible what transpired."
You can watch below.
Keith Urban - Criss Angel’s Talking Junkies, Episode 6youtu.be
People on social media couldn't explain it, either, but were grateful for the ad's existence.
Many also noted it didn't hurt to have Nicole Kidman as the star of the commercial.
In 2022, Kidman told GQ she didn't get it, either, but as long as it was generating buzz and getting people into theaters, she was content.
“But what I can tell you is that the reaction is a direct result of the amount of people going back to theaters to enjoy the movies."
"And that is exciting."
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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images