{"id":265795,"date":"2026-02-03T17:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/265795\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T17:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:11:08","slug":"air-bud-returns-sets-late-summer-theatrical-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/265795\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Air Bud Returns’ Sets Late Summer Theatrical Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE: \u00a0Air Bud Returns<\/a>\u00a0will hit theaters coast to coast on Aug. 21 this year via Cineverse<\/a> and Air Bud Entertainment. <\/p>\n

\n\tAir Bud Returns\u00a0is not a sequel to the canine movies originally distributed by Disney, rather it\u2019s billed as a theatrical relaunch of the multigenerational, global franchise about the basketball-playing Golden Retriever, Buddy. <\/p>\n

\n\tAir Bud Returns unfolds in Fernfield,\u00a0the original hometown where Buddy\u2019s legend began. Thirteen-year-old Jacob dreams of becoming a basketball star like his dad. After his father\u2019s passing, that dream feels further away than ever. When Jacob and his mother move into his dad\u2019s childhood home in Fernfield, Jacob discovers an old VHS tape marked Air Bud. He discovers his father played on the Timberwolves team alongside the legendary, basketball-playing golden retriever, Buddy. When Jacob meets a stray golden retriever, he later names Buddy, they form a bond that leads them on a journey to unite a team of misfits, qualify for the Christmas tournament, and chase a championship. They rediscover that belief in his family legacy, learn to play from the heart, and always take the shot.<\/p>\n

\n\tPic stars Tracy Ifeachor (The Pitt, The Originals, Doctor Who: The End of Time, Wonka) as Jasmine, Edwin Lee Gibson (The Bear) as Jack, Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, New Amsterdam) as Walter, and Aydin Artis as Jacob. It is written and directed by franchise creator Robert Vince and produced by Anna McRoberts.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe movie\u2019s theatrical release is appropriately timed to National Golden Retriever Day, Aug. 21.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAir Bud has, for nearly three decades, stood for heartwarming family values, reminding us to \u2018play from the heart\u2019 and \u2018when given the opportunity, to always take the shot,\u2019\u201d said Vince.\u00a0 \u201cAir Bud Returns\u00a0honors that legacy while introducing the next generation to Buddy on the big screen. And yes, there still\u2026 \u2018Ain\u2019t no rule says a dog can\u2019t play basketball.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCineverse Chief Motion Pictures Officer Yolanda Macias added, \u201cWatching\u00a0Air Bud Returns\u00a0come together has been a memorable experience, and we can\u2019t wait for families to enjoy watching Buddy on the big screen again for the first time. The team, including our canine and human cast, have worked incredibly hard to bring Robert\u2019s vision to life, and I can think of no better way to celebrate National Golden Retriever Day \u2014 yes, it\u2019s a thing! \u2014 than announcing its release date.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe original Air Bud movie came out in 1997, grossed north of $23M stateside and was directed by Charles Martin Smith. The 1998 sequel, Air Bud: Golden Receiver, was released by Miramax and earned north of $10M in North America. <\/p>\n

\n\tCineverse released Terrifier 3 in October 2024 to great box office success, the movie earning over $90M at the global box office off a $2M production cost. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: \u00a0Air Bud Returns\u00a0will hit theaters coast to coast on Aug. 21 this year via Cineverse and Air…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[151548,102341,156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-265795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-air-bud-returns","9":"tag-cineverse","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-movies","12":"tag-new-zealand","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}