Air Bud

For the film series, see Air Bud (series).
Air Bud
A golden retriever wearing a basketball jersey and dunking a ball
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Martin Smith
Written by
  • Paul Tamasy
  • Aaron Mendelsohn
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMike Southon
Edited byAlison Grace
Music byBrahm Wenger
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • August 1, 1997 (1997-08-01)
Running time
98 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million
Box office$27.8 million[3]

Air Bud is a 1997 sports comedy-drama film directed by Charles Martin Smith.[4] An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film stars Kevin Zegers as a young boy who befriends a runaway Golden Retriever (portrayed by Buddy) with a unique ability to play basketball.

Air Bud received mixed reviews but was a commercial success, grossing $4 million in its opening weekend and totaling $27.8 million in its run against an estimated $3 million budget.[3] It was followed by a direct sequel, Air Bud: Golden Receiver, in 1998, and spawned a film franchise that includes the spin-off series Air Buddies.

  1. ^ "Air Bud (1997)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "AFI|Catalog".
  3. ^ a b "Air Bud (1997) - Financial Information".
  4. ^ Deming, Mark. "Air Bud". Allmovie. Retrieved April 16, 2013.