Artists Equity Signs Multi-Year Theatrical Deal with Sony Pictures

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon just doubled down on movie theaters. Their artist-led production company, Artists Equity, has inked a three-year global theatrical deal with Sony Pictures, bringing their next wave of prestige-minded projects to the big screen with major backing.

Under the new partnership, Sony will distribute, finance, and handle global ancillaries for all Artists Equity films. The studio also offers flexibility for Affleck, Damon, and co-founder Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital to co-finance projects on a film-by-film basis.

It’s a strategic pivot and a powerful vote of confidence in theatrical releases at a time when streamers are still wrestling with ROI.

From Amazon to Apple… to Sony

While Artists Equity has had success with multiple streaming partners (like Air at Amazon, The Instigators at Apple, and Small Things Like These at Lionsgate) the Sony deal marks a decisive swing toward the cinema-first model.

“Artists Equity has proven remarkably adept at making high-quality commercial films,” said Sony Motion Picture Group Chairman Tom Rothman. “Now that Ben and Matt have set their sights firmly on the theatrical market, we’re lucky as hell to be partnering with them.”

Affleck called the deal “an enormously meaningful landmark” and praised Sony’s commitment to the theatrical experience. “It’s an honor to make films for the magical dark room where we come together with strangers to project our innermost secrets onto a screen,” he said.

Affleck waxing poetic about the power of the communal movie experience? That’s exactly the kind of passion indie filmmakers can relate to, just on a more Oscar-winning scale.

What This Means for Indie-Led Studios

Artists Equity isn’t your standard production shingle. It’s a bold experiment: an artist-first company with equity participation baked into its structure, aimed at redistributing backend value to creatives across the filmmaking chain.

In that light, the Sony deal is more than distribution, it’s validation. That a traditional studio is willing to fund and globally distribute these films signals that artist-driven, prestige-forward production still has a real home at the multiplex.

It’s also a reminder that even in an era dominated by streaming, theatrical still offers one irreplaceable edge: cultural permanence.

What’s Coming from Artists Equity?

With Sony on board, expect bigger pushes for festival-driven, crowd-pleasing, awards-season fare. But AE’s slate already shows plenty of range:

• RIP (Netflix): An action film starring Damon, Affleck, Teyana Taylor, and Scott Adkins, directed by Joe Carnahan
• Animals (Netflix): A thriller directed by Affleck, starring Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and Kerry Washington
• Kiss of the Spider Woman: A musical adaptation from Dreamgirls director Bill Condon, starring Diego Luna and Jennifer Lopez. It debuted at Sundance and was picked up by Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and LD Entertainment

So yes, there’s Netflix and Lionsgate still in the mix. But this Sony deal is about building theatrical momentum, not abandoning partnerships. It’s the hybrid future AE seems built to navigate.

Prestige, Profit, and the Power of the Big Screen

For upstart filmmakers and production companies watching closely, this deal is an object lesson:

• You can make bold, artist-first films.
• You can build equity-driven structures.
• And yes—you can still get them into theaters on a global scale.

You just need partners willing to bet on vision. And apparently, Sony still plays that game.

Ben and Matt…still Good Will-ing. But now with distribution muscle.