Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ and the Super-Weird State of Movies (Part 1)

In theatrical terms, Air is a $130 million release that, even with tens of millions of dollars in marketing and great word-of-mouth, will likely top out at less than half that in U.S. theaters. So how come everyone is rushing to declare it a hit?

The cast of Ben Affleck-directed sports drama ‘Air’ starring Matt Damon and friends. Photo: JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

Matthew Belloni

April 10, 2023

So, here’s a good example of why everyone in the movie business wants to jump off the Hollywood sign: If Warner Bros. spends $130 million on an adult drama, then opens it to $20 million domestic over a five-day holiday weekend, the knives come out. That’s an outright flop, an embarrassment never to be mentioned in a Burbank commissary, even if the movie goes on to generate decent viewership on HBO Max, Warners’ sister streaming service. In fact, I can’t really cite a recent example of this happening at Warners because its executives know better than to make $130 million adult dramas without genre elements or known I.P.

But check out today’s media coverage of Air, the Ben Affleck-directed adult drama starring Matt Damon and friends, which Amazon snapped up before production began for, yes, $130 million, and opened to $20 million over the five-day holiday. “A solid result for an R-rated drama,” raved Variety. “A great start,” beamed Deadline. “What the hell?” declared me before I slammed my head against my MacBook.