Buddy Returns to the Court: 'Air Bud Returns' Celebrates Theatrical Comeback at American Film Market
Photo Credit: Photos courtesy of The Maker
On November 12, 2026, the star arrived at AMC Century City 4 ahead of the American Film Market screening on four legs, in person, for photographs with guests before the 1:30 PM screening of Air Bud Returns.
The appearance marks a genuine theatrical return. Air Bud Returns opens in U.S. theaters on January 22, 2027, distributed by Cineverse. It is the 15th film in the Air Bud series and the first to be released theatrically since Air Bud: Golden Receiver in 1998.
The film is written and directed by Robert Vince, founder of Air Bud Entertainment and the filmmaker who has carried the franchise since its early sequels. In the new chapter, Jacob, grieving the loss of his father, moves with his mother to his father's childhood home in Fernfield. There he meets a stray golden retriever, Buddy, and together they unite a team of misfits and chase a championship — a story of healing told, as the original was, through basketball.
The production's central choice is a craft choice. Vince has kept Buddy a real dog, played by real golden retrievers, rather than building the performance with CGI or AI. In an era when animal performances are routinely digital, that decision restores what made the 1997 original endure: the pleasure is not in a trick rendered perfectly, but in a dog actually doing it.
Nearly thirty years on, the premise still rests on the most generous loophole in family cinema — there is no rule that says a dog cannot play basketball. Air Bud Returns does not update that idea so much as hand it, intact, to a new generation.
Film & Screening Overview
Core details for the American Film Market screening and upcoming theatrical release include:
Film / Event Parameter Details & Specifications Film Title Air Bud Returns (15th installment in the Air Bud franchise)Writer & Director Robert Vince (Air Bud Entertainment) Distributor & Release Date Cineverse — Opens in U.S. theaters on January 22, 2027AFM Screening November 12, 2026 (1:30 PM) at AMC Century City 4, Los Angeles Production Craft Live-action performance by real golden retrievers (no CGI or AI)