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Affleck & Damon's Air Jordan Movie Gets Theatrical Release After Last Duel Bomb
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's new movie Air receives a theatrical release date. After growing up as close friends in Boston, Affleck and Damon's careers have been intertwined since they achieved overnight success in 1997 with Good Will Hunting, which earned the duo an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Over two decades later, Affleck and Damon reunited to write their second script, The Last Duel, in which they also starred. Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, the historical drama bombed badly at the box office, only making back $30 million of its $100 million budget. However, the film later found financial success on VOD.
Despite The Last Duel bombing at the box office, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's new movie has received a theatrical release. According to Variety, Air will release in theaters on April 5 before streaming on Prime Video at a later date. The decision is not only notable due to The Last Duel bombing but because Amazon Studios rarely gives its titles wide theatrical releases, demonstrating tremendous confidence in Affleck and Damon's latest collaboration.
Everything We Know About Air
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's upcoming sports drama follows Nike's quest to recruit a rookie Michael Jordan as an ambassador for the sneaker company. This partnership revolutionized sports and gave birth to the iconic Air Jordan brand. The story specifically follows two Nike executives and their unlikely attempts to sign Jordan to an endorsement deal, as well as Deloris Jordan, who knew her son's worth and refused to compromise her vision. Air is written by newcomer Alex Convery and directed by Ben Affleck in only his second effort behind the camera since his Best Picture-winning film Argo in 2012.
Matt Damon leads the cast as Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Ben Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and Jason Bateman as longtime Nike executive Rob Strasserand. Air's star-studded cast includes Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Tom Papa, Joel Gretsch, Gustaf Skarsgård, and Jessica Green. Though Michael Jordan himself won't be appearing in the film as a character based on the cast list, his parents are played by Oscar winner Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan and Julius Tennon as James R. Jordan Sr.
With an April 5 release date, Air will be going up against The Super Mario Bros Movie and The Pope's Exorcist over the upcoming Easter weekend. The two releases present some stiff competition for the sports drama, though the ongoing controversy regarding Chris Pratt's Mario voice might affect the video game adaptation. Unlike The Last Duel, Air should be able to make money over what is generally considered a lucrative weekend at the box office.
