AMC Global Media is leveraging its relationship with corporate cousin Sphere Entertainment, lining up key promotions at New York’s Beacon Theatre and Sphere in Las Vegas.
The company announced the plans Wednesday night at its annual upfront presentation to ad buyers in New York.
June 2 is booked at the Beacon for The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only, a live event featuring Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, the central character from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. The series, whose name was changed last year from Interview with the Vampire, will premiere its third season June 7.
After a successful 2025 foray, AMC is headed back to Sphere for a promo tied to holiday-season programming (“Sphere of Cheer”). Last year, the singular venue’s exterior was deployed for the horror-themed “Sphere of Fear” and “FearFest” campaigns, and that Halloween-timed campaign will also return.
Kim Kelleher, AMC’s chief commercial officer, said last year’s Sphere activations sold out, but the company sensed there could be even more opportunity. “The partners that didn’t come in, they didn’t love the ‘fear’ aspect, and what we got a lot of requests for was, ‘Is there anything that’s a little more us?’” she told Deadline in an interview.
POM Wonderful, whose ruby-red pomegranate juice has an undeniably vampire-friendly color, will be woven into the new season of Lestat with short pieces produced by AMC’s Content Room. The live event, with Reid in character, will see him perform original music by series composer Daniel Hart after a special screening of the premiere episode. The event will be open to fans, with free tickets made available May 6.
“Interview with the Vampire has one of the most devoted fandoms in television, and this season’s campaign is built for them. The Beacon event is one of many touchpoints designed to celebrate the deep connection they have to these characters and the world they love,” AMC Chief Marketing Officer Kim Granito said in a statement.
The Dolan family of companies have discussed potential ways of using the inside of Sphere, executives said in an interview, but for now the promotional engagement includes only the “exosphere,” or the outside of the giant orb. The unique canvas, which can display images and messages visible for miles, is the largest high-definition screen in the world.
AMC’s annual December programming, which includes holiday films and specials, is dubbed “Best Christmas Ever.” It annually delivers peak ratings for the network and robust viewing on AMC+, in keeping with larger trends that lift cable programmers like Hallmark, TBS. The end-of-year holiday stint will be preceded by a reprise of the “Sphere of Fear” and “FearFest” promos.
“After a successful first-ever Halloween collaboration with Sphere last year across ‘Sphere of Fear’ and ‘FearFest,’ we knew the next step was to go even bigger,” said Mike DiGiacomo, head of integrated marketing and Content Room for AMC Global Media.
