The Ben Affleck and Matt Damon-starrer drama 'Air' will get an unprecedented theatrical release for a streaming service. Amazon will release the film, which centres on real-life shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro and how he led Nike in its pursuit of basketball phenom Michael Jordan, on 3,000-plus screens domestically.
Additionally, Amazon is planning an exclusive theatrical window that's comparable to or even longer than those from major studios. The film debuts in cinemas worldwide on April 5.
After its exclusive theatrical run, the Affleck-helmed film will launch on Prime Video, reports Variety. "It's a really big swing," said one source familiar with the release plan. "It's going to put a lot of pressure on Netflix and Apple to follow suit on their big films and how they release them."
As per Variety, Amazon has sky-high hopes for 'Air', which stars Matt Damon as Vaccaro, Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight and Viola Davis as Jordan's mother, Deloris. Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans and Chris Tucker round out the cast.
To help generate buzz for the film, Amazon plunked down more than $7 million for a 'Super Bowl' ad for 'Air'. It joins a list of Hollywood films that will get spots during the game, such as Warners' 'The Flash' and Universal's 'Fast X'.