Amid the big-budget films hitting theaters, you also have something like Air that serves as an alternative that is like a breath of fresh air (no pun intended). Amazon Studios decided to give the little star-studded drama a run in a theatrical window to give the film a good run and build hype before streaming on Prime Video. Now, Amazon has announced the release date for the film to be made available on their platform. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Air is set to release on Prime on May 12.
Rather than just going directly to stream, Amazon’s decision to screen Air in theaters across the world earned the film a nice $70.2 million at the global box office. That would include a $47.6 million domestic run with $31.6 million made overseas. This gives Amazon a new strategy for film distribution as the limited run on the big screen could add to their streaming profits as well as serve as a way to lure more customers to their service. This is especially a game changer now that the studio will be producing more titles from the IPs the business recently acquired from MGM. Although they had already planned to keep the James Bond franchise a theatrical release, this opens doors for more to be distributed for a silver screen experience.
Air will have had over a month in theaters by the time it hits streaming and in 240 countries and territories around the world. The movie is a dramatic retelling of the story behind Nike’s biggest move into the sneaker business when Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, has the idea to build a shoe around a single player. Vaccaro took a chance on a rookie coming out of North Carolina as he saw the potential in securing his endorsement. That rookie was none other than Michael Jordan.
Ben Affleck would direct both himself as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, as well as his fellow Good Will Hunting star with an all-star cast including Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler. The screenplay was written by Alex Convery and produced by Amazon Studios as well as Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures.
Our own Chris Bumbray gave it a favorable review which you can read here.