Air — starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon — will soon be available for streaming in India. In a tweet, Amazon Prime Video confirmed that the biopic chronicling the origin of Nike’s Air Jordan shoeline will be up for streaming on the platform starting Friday, May 12. The film arrives on digital home media 38 days after its theatrical run in the US, and can be streamed in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages in India. Air was originally set to premiere on Amazon’s streaming service, but the studio opted for a theatrical release following positive responses to test screenings. This marks the second Amazon Studios film since 2019’s Late Night to premiere in theatres before an eventual Prime Video release.
Directed by Affleck, Air offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how Nike’s basketball division in 1984 signed then-NBA rookie Michael Jordan for a historic partnership, spawning the Air Jordan brand. Damon plays maverick executive Sonny Vaccaro, who scouts the basketball star after stumbling upon a videotape of his highlights, essentially betting his career on the decision. Of course, this means visiting Jordan’s family in Wilmington, North Carolina, and promising full support and attention from Nike. Affleck also stars in the film as Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, constantly questioning Vaccaro’s choices, while Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad) appears as Deloris, Jordan’s mother.
Debutant Alex Convery wrote the screenplay for Air, which was featured in 2021’s The Black List of most-liked scripts in the industry. The script then underwent some revisions by Affleck and Damon, based on the real-life Jordan’s request, who wanted some key figures in his signing to be included in the film. Air also stars Jason Bateman (Ozark) as Nike’s director of marketing Rob Strauss, Marlon Wayans (Requiem for a Dream) as Nike’s basketball marketing director George Raveling, and Chris Messina (Sharp Objects) as Michael Jordan’s representative David Falk. This would also be the first time Affleck directed his long-time friend and collaborator Damon in a movie.
As mentioned before, Air was released April 5 in theatres across the US and Canada and grossed $79 million (about Rs. 647 crore). In that period, it has been praised by critics, standing at a 92 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences seem to have liked it too, garnering the film a whopping 98 percent score.
Air releases May 12 on Amazon Prime Video, globally. In India, it will be available for streaming in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages.
