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Air, which made its theater debut in early April, will hit Prime Video on May 12.
The film was well-received by both fans and critics alike. Its creators Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and the cast exhausted themselves with an impressive, but grueling press run that paid off, delivering an impressive $20.2 million at the domestic box office on opening weekend, and a worldwide total of $80.8 million a month after its release. It may not have gotten back the $90 million budget Amazon Studios spent on it, but it surpassed expectations. The film was made for Prime Video, so the studio originally did not initially plan to turn a profit with a theatrical release.
In every interview, it was clear that Affleck, who directed the project and stars as Nike CEO Phil Knight, believed in the story they were telling and was intentional about every aspect of the film. With a script from writer Alex Convery that was inspired by the Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, Affleck set out to tell the story of the inception of the now iconic Air Jordan brand and sneaker. Air is by no means a biography about the NBA legend, but more so a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to close the most impactful deal in sneakers history.
Damon excels in the film as Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, who along with Deloris Jordan, was the mastermind that brought Jordan’s first sneaker deal to life. Affleck has been open about his approach and how he never intended to make this story one that took away Jordan’s ability to tell his own. He tapped the basketball star for his input—which included making Viola Davis play his mother Deloris and adding key players like Howard White (Chris Tucker) who weren’t part of the original script. Affleck obliged to Jordan’s requests, and it all worked in his favor.
Regardless of Air’s critical and box office success, Affleck seems largely unaffected and unmoved by it all, except he refers to it as “the best experience professionally” of his life. Affleck tells Complex that no matter his accomplishments or accolades (which include two Oscars), he still feels like the phone could stop ringing at any moment.
“What I’ve discovered is that the idea that outside approbation or approval is going to fill the place in you that is anxious or wanting or feels like it has something to prove. It doesn’t actually do it, strangely enough,” the director says. “You have these moments that are supposed to create that feeling in you and I think one finds that it generally doesn’t. It’s not lasting, that the things that last in life are not the totems or trophies or ribbons.”
Now that Air is making its streaming debut, Complex caught up with Affleck for an introspective conversation about the film’s reception, his intentions behind making the Jordan-inspired flick, and why he still feels uncertain about his career after all these years.
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