Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s AIR to Receive Global Theatrical Release from Amazon Studios
Phil Roberts 
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Nike origin story, AIR, is coming to cinemas ahead of the film’s premiere on Amazon Prime Video.
In a first-of-its-kind arrangement, Ben Affleck’s Nike origin story, AIR will receive a theatrical release on 5th April 2023 ahead of its premiere on Prime Video. The movie, directed by Affleck and produced by Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity will release internationally under the purview of Warner Bros.
The film showcases the rise of Nike and the marketing strategies and tactics used to transform the company into a global juggernaut. Prime Video is eager to generate as much buzz as possible for the project and a theatrical release is a perfect vehicle to attract as much attention as a project fronted by Affleck and Damon merits. And positive word of mouth will only help to swell those all-important streaming viewing numbers.
AMAZON/MGM
“Ben, Matt and this all-star cast have delivered a fantastic film that will move, inspire and entertain audiences around the globe,” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios, said in a statement. “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.”
BEN AFFLECK
Ben Affleck added “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.”
THE PREMISE
From award-winning director Ben Affleck, AIR reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows 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.
CAST & CREW
Matt 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.
This marks the first time Affleck is directing a feature film starring Damon. With a script penned by Alex Convery, AIR is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman. Executive producers include Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Drew Vinton, John Graham, Peter E. Strauss, and Jordan Moldo.
RELEASE
AIR will be released nationwide on 5th April 2023 ahead of its Prime Video premiere at a later date. We’ll keep an eye on this project and will update the website soon. So bookmark us now and never miss a story from Future of the Force.
Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager, and Editor-In-Chief of The Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force and babbles frequently!
