Local theaters hope "Air" will bring people to the movies
BOSTON — With "Air," finally in theaters, Bostonians are excited to see their boys on the big screen and theaters are hoping it brings in the crowds.
The movie was released on April 5 and its star-studded cast features two of Boston's own.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon play two men responsible for recruiting Michael Jordan to Nike and helping to launch a sneaker dynasty.
After Matt Damon was recently in town shooting a different film with Ben's brother Casey Affleck, neighbors are excited local boys are helping to bring neighbors back to the big screen.
"It has the local boys and it's a good story that we all know and love," said Boston neighbor, Sibyl Centers.
The movie follows the journey of Nike recruiting Michael Jordan to create what would become the most famous sneaker of all time.
Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, the sports marketing executive responsible for making Jordan's Nike sneaker deal, and Affleck plays Phil Knight, the former CEO of Nike.
"Matt calls me on the phone. We just hit it off," said Sonny Vaccaro, sports marketing executive responsible for Jordan's Nike sneaker deal during an interview with WBZ's Dan Roche.
WATCH: Sonny Vaccaro's interview with WBZ's Dan Roche
Now, local movie theaters are hoping the blockbuster film has Boston running back to the big screen.
"Certainly the early months after the pandemic reopening things were very touch and go," says Beth Gilligan, the deputy director of the Coolidge Corner Theater, which nearly closed in the 1980s and was threatened again 40 years later.
"I think because we are so beloved in the community the minute we closed our doors messages of support, checks, everything started pouring in the door. People aren't 100% back since the pandemic but it's pretty close," said Gilligan.
For Gilligan, a movie like "Air" brings people back to the theater because of its story.
"It's a beautiful story," she said. "It wears its heart on its sleeve. It's really funny, the performances are great."
"I think people will come into the Coolidge either for the 20th time or maybe even in some cases the first time and see what kind of place this is," she continued.
