Cineplex
A new 'Air Bud' movie is hitting theaters for the first time since 1998
Maybe all Hollywood remakes and reboots aren’t so bad after all. Case in point: the trailer for Air Bud Returns, the first Air Bud movie to be released in theaters since 1998, has dropped.
Air Bud Returns is bringing the beloved family franchise back to theaters on January 22, 2027, nearly 30 years after the original movie introduced audiences to a dog who could apparently solve a youth basketball team’s roster problems.
‘Air Bud Returns’ brings the basketball-playing dog back to theaters for the first time since 1998
One iconic retriever will make you a believer 🐶
Watch the new trailer for Air Bud Returns. See it in theatres on January 22. https://t.co/LyiSonLJV8
— Cineplex (@CineplexMovies) November 6, 2026
Written and directed by longtime franchise filmmaker Robert Vince, the film follows Jacob, a grieving boy who moves with his mother into his late father’s childhood home in Fernfield.
There, according to the film’s official synopsis, he discovers an old Air Bud VHS tape among his father’s belongings and meets a stray Golden Retriever he names Buddy, who just so happens to have a talent for playing basketball.
The cast includes Aydin Artis as Jacob, alongside Tracy Ifeachor, Edwin Lee Gibson, and Tyler Labine. Cineverse is distributing the movie in the United States and describes it as a theatrical relaunch of the franchise.
The original Air Bud, directed by Charles Martin Smith and starring Kevin Zegers, was released in 1997 and became an instant hit among families, particularly due to VHS sales.
The follow-up, Air Bud: Golden Receiver, took Buddy onto the football field in 1998 and also received a theatrical release. From there, the subsequent movies were all direct-to-video and saw Buddy participate in soccer, baseball, and volleyball.
The franchise was then transitioned to Air Buddies and its numerous direct-to-video sequels, such as Snow Buddies, Space Buddies, Santa Buddies, Spooky Buddies, Treasure Buddies, and Super Buddies.
Now, the franchise is returning to its roots with the sport that started it all, with a theatrical release arriving in the same year the original turns 30.
Air Bud Returns opens in theaters on January 22, 2027.