Amazon Studios have confirmed the latest Ben Affleck’s film “Air” will make its Worldwide theatrical debut this year on April 5, 2023, and precedes its launch on Prime Video, where it will launch in more than 240 countries and territories.
Affleck is starring his fellow “Good Will Hunting” co-Oscar winner Matt Damon. This is the first wide theatrical release from Amazon since its Sundance acquisition, Mindy Kaling’s “Late Night,” which had a wide summer release in 2019.
It truly is a special arrangement for the studio which will distribute the film globally, with Warner Bros. Pictures handling international as part of its distribution pact with Amazon’s MGM. Amazon Studios only had U.S. on “Late Night,” not global rights.
The story follows the Air Jordan sneaker partnership back to its infancy in the 1980s, when Jordan began his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.
Damon plays maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight with Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan – among others. While Damon and Affleck starred in such movies together such as “Good Will Hunting” and “Dogma,” “Air” reps the first time that Affleck has directed his longtime friend.
Alex Convery wrote the screenplay; David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Affleck, Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman produce. EPs are Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Drew Vinton, John Graham, Peter E.
Strauss, and Jordan Moldo.
Production companies in addition to Amazon Studios include Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures, and Affleck and Damon’s Artists Equity.
“Ben, Matt and this all-star cast have delivered a fantastic film that will move, inspire, and entertain audiences around the globe,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios. “With Ben’s incredible direction, the film delivers a nostalgic look back at a culture-defining moment that absolutely lends itself to a global theatrical event.”
Said Affleck: “Matt and I are very excited for audiences to see “Air” and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity. The movie was an extraordinary experience where we had the honor of working with some of the best cast and crew in the business, all of whom brought passion, persistence, and creativity to a collective effort at recreating a remarkable and aspirational story.
I appreciate and value Jen Salke’s faith in our ability to execute on and deliver a movie we are proud of, as well as her and Sue Kroll’s incredible ongoing support of the film.
Amazon Studios, Skydance, and Mandalay were all critical to getting this done, and the film couldn’t have been made without them. We value the steps it took on each of their parts to make it happen and want to thank them. This was the best creative and personal experience of our lives and we look forward to many more like it.”