Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity has found a streaming home with Netflix, signing a multi-year streaming first-look deal, production and distribution agreement with the company.
Artists Equity, which is also run by RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale, recently partnered with Netflix on the crime thriller The Rip, starring both Affleck and Damon, which spent three weeks as the No. 1 movie on Netflix’s Top 10 chart, according to the streamer. Netflix is also set to release Affleck’s next directorial feature, Animals, starring Affleck, Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson, which is due out later this year.
The news of the Netflix partnership comes after Artists Equity entered into a similar pact with Sony but for theatrical releases. Under that three-year deal, Sony will distribute Artists Equity’s theatrical films globally and will additionally finance the films and handle all ancillaries, with Artists Equity having the option to co-finance certain projects. (Sony, notably, does not have a sister streaming service.)
In terms of which projects will end up under the Netflix streaming deal or the Sony theatrical pact, that decision will be made on a project-by-project basis based on Artists Equity’s discussion with its studio partners.
“This is an incredible milestone for Artists Equity and one that validates the vision we’ve been working towards since 2022. From the jump, we’ve seen this growing need for an independent supplier comfortable across the entire creative process, from development to final cut. Netflix is a great match for our work. [Netflix film chairman] Dan [Lin] and his team have a unique connection with the modern viewer and the ability to unite audiences over a shared cultural moment,” said Affleck and Damon in a joint statement.
Added Lin, “We’re expanding our partnership with Artists Equity because they share our mission — to make bold, original films. Ben and Matt don’t wait for opportunities, they create them: from making and starring in ambitious, original films, to building an innovative studio model.”
