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Artists Equity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Artists Equity
Company typePrivate
IndustryProduction company
PredecessorPearl Street Films
FoundedNovember 2022; 1 year ago (2022-11)
Founders
Headquarters,
U.S.
Key people
  • Ben Affleck (CEO & Partner)
  • Matt Damon (Partner)
  • Gerry Cardinale (Partner)
  • Michael Joe (COO)
Websiteartistsequity.com

Artists Equity is an American production company founded by actors and filmmakers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in November 2022.

History

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The company's founders Ben Affleck (left) and Matt Damon (right) in 2023

In June 2022, It was announced that American actors and filmmakers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon would be launching a new production company with financial backing from American investor Gerry Cardinale through his investment management firm RedBird Capital.[1] In November 2022, the company was founded by Affleck and Damon, who partnered with Cardinale and received financial backing from RedBird Capital.[2]

The company's management consists of Affleck as chief executive officer, co-founder and partner, Damon as co-founder and partner, Cardinale as partner,[3] and Michael Joe as the company's chief operating officer. Joe was the former chief operating officer of STX Films, and former executive vice president at Universal Pictures.[2] The company is headquartered in Los Angeles County, California.

In 2023, the company's first film, Air, directed by and starring Affleck as Phil Knight, and Damon as Sonny Vaccaro premiere at South by Southwest on March 18, 2023, and was released worldwide on April 5, 2023.[4][5] The film is based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoeline by professional basketball player Michael Jordan and Nike, Inc.[4] The film grossed $90 million worldwide on a budget of $70–90 million,[6][7] and received positive reviews from critics, earning Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Damon's performance.[8]

Also in 2023, the company's first documentary film, Kiss the Future, documents the underground music scene in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, and covers U2's involvement in bringing attention to the Siege of Sarajevo and their 1997 concert in the city.[9] The documentary film premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023, and was released cinematically by AMC Theatres in February 2024.[10]

In 2024, the company worked on the productions of The Greatest Love Story Never Told (2024), a music documentary film about the making of the album This Is Me... Now by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez (the wife of Affleck),[11] and the historical drama film Small Things like These (2024), starring and produced by Cillian Murphy, which is based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Claire Keegan.[12]They released a heist thriller comedy film, The Instigators on Apple TV Plus, starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck (Ben's brother), directed by Doug Liman and written by Chuck Maclean and Casey. The film received mixed reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.[13]

The company's upcoming productions include, the action thriller film The Accountant 2, a direct sequel to The Accountant (2016) which is directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque, and stars Affleck,[14] the musical drama film Kiss of the Spider Woman, based on the novel and musical of the same name, directed by Bill Condon and starring Lopez,[15] and the biographical sports drama film Unstoppable, based on the book of the same name by Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy, directed by William Goldenberg, and starring Lopez.[16]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Director Gross (worldwide) Notes Ref.
2023 Air Ben Affleck $90.1 million with Mandalay Pictures, Skydance Sports, and Amazon Studios [17]
Kiss the Future Nenad Cicin-Sain with Fifth Season and In Cahoots Production [10]
2024 The Greatest Love Story Never Told Jason Bergh with Amazon MGM Studios [11]
Small Things like These Tim Mielants TBA with Big Things Films [12]
The Instigators Doug Liman with Studio 8, The Walsh Company and Apple Studios [18]

Upcoming

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In production

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References

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  1. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (June 8, 2022). "Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Launching Production Company With RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale Funding & Jeff Robinov Circling". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Haring, Bruce (November 20, 2022). "Ben Affleck And Matt Damon Launch Production Company With RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  3. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (November 30, 2022). "Ben Affleck Calls Netflix An "Assembly Line", Says His And Matt Damon's New Production Company To Blend "Quality" & "Commercial" Fare". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (April 19, 2022). "Ben Affleck To Direct Nike Drama For Amazon, Skydance Sports; Will Star Alongside Matt Damon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 13, 2023). "Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Nike Film 'Air' to Make Surprise Debut at SXSW (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  6. ^ "Air (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  7. ^ McClintock, Pamela (April 4, 2023). "Box Office: 'Super Mario Bros.' to Find Oodles of Easter Eggs, Ben Affleck's 'Air' Joins Hunt". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Lang, Brent; Shanfeld, Ethan (December 11, 2023). "Golden Globes 2024: Full Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  9. ^ Carey, Matthew (February 19, 2023). "Berlin Review: U2 Doc 'Kiss The Future,' From Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, Shows How Bono And Band Inspired Sarajevo Under Siege". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Carey, Matthew (January 31, 2024). "U2-Themed Documentary 'Kiss The Future,' Produced By Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, To Screen Exclusively At AMC Theatres". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Gilchrist, Todd (February 26, 2024). "'The Greatest Love Story Never Told' Review: Jennifer Lopez Learns Love's Cost in Revelatory Making-Of Doc". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (March 20, 2023). "Cillian Murphy To Star In & Produce 'Small Things Like These' Backed By Ben Affleck & Matt Damon's Artists Equity". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "The Instigators | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  14. ^ a b Gajewski, Ryan; Kit, Borys (March 7, 2024). "Ben Affleck's 'The Accountant' Sequel Moves to Amazon MGM From Warner Bros". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (April 9, 2024). "Artists Equity Boards 'Kiss Of The Spider Woman' Adaptation Starring Jennifer Lopez; Diego Luna And Tonatiuh To Co-Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  16. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 16, 2023). "Artists Equity Is 'Unstoppable' With Jennifer Lopez; Company In Final Talks With Amazon Studios For Second Team-Up Before 'Air' Opens – The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 23, 2023). "Amazon Studios Returns To Wide Theatrical With Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Nike Movie 'Air' In Spring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  18. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 8, 2022). "Matt Damon & Casey Affleck Set To Star In 'The Instigators'; Doug Liman Directing For Apple Original Films". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 25, 2024). "Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Reteaming On Kidnapping Tale 'Animals' For Netflix; Makeready, Artists Equity & Fifth Season Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  20. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 2, 2024). "Netflix Lands Artists Equity's Crime Thriller 'RIP' Starring Matt Damon And Ben Affleck With Joe Carnahan Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
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