Endemic Brings 'Cinema Revival'... Amazon Premieres New Film 'Air' in Theaters First

Amazon has stepped up its focus on theaters ahead of streaming, aligning with the lull in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Movie poster of 'Air'.

On the 7th (local time), the US daily newspaper The New York Times (NYT) reported that Amazon released its new movie 'Air' in theaters before making it available on its streaming platform and plans to premiere about 10 films annually in theaters going forward.

Amazon's subsidiary and film production and distribution company, Amazon Studios, first released the new movie 'Air' this week in 3,500 theaters across the United States and in over 70 countries worldwide. NYT noted that this is the largest theatrical release since Amazon Studios began producing films in 2015.

'Air' is a film depicting the birth of the Nike brand 'Air Jordan,' named after basketball legend Michael Jordan. It has attracted attention as Hollywood's well-known 'close friends' stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon took on the roles of director and lead actor, respectively.

Amazon invested $130 million in this film and, after a test screening in Los Angeles last September, decided to release it in theaters first. Moreover, Amazon plans to premiere 10 to 12 films annually in theaters that have strong box office potential.

Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, told NYT, "Initially, we thought we should provide the films (first) to Prime customers, but now we are thinking about reaching a broader audience." NYT analyzed that Amazon adopted this strategy to attract not only movie fans but also filmmakers.

Although the status of theaters has been reevaluated in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of streaming platforms, films with artistic value, such as superhero movies and this year's Oscar-winning 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' still draw audiences to theaters.

While streaming companies require massive financial resources, there is also an analysis that filmmakers who prefer to showcase their works in theaters first will partner with Amazon.

NYT predicted that if 'Air' succeeds at the box office, it could encourage other distributors to release more films in theaters.

Apple, which has been reluctant to release films in theaters, also plans to premiere Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' to theater audiences first this year.

Courtney Valenti, a producer who worked on hit series like 'Harry Potter' at Warner Bros. and recently moved to Amazon, said, "(Theatrical release) is the only way to attract the most talented people, producers, and writers," adding, "They believe their films won’t get lost in the fast flow of streaming services."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.