Buddy is coming back to the big screen this August, and this time, pet parents can bring their own dogs along for the ride.
“We all cherish the memories of the dogs we grew up with, and many of us watched Air Bud alongside our furry family members,” said Helen Hastings, director of the PEDIGREE® brand for Mars Pet Nutrition North America, in a statement. “PEDIGREE is proud to be part of those moments, and these dog-friendly screening events are a joyful way to bring families together and create new memories.”
Cineverse, Air Bud Entertainment and the PEDIGREE brand, part of the Mars family of brands, are teaming up for a three-city summer movie series pairing an exclusive first look at the upcoming AIR BUD RETURNS with dog-friendly screenings of the original 1997 AIR BUD. The events land Aug. 3 in Los Angeles at St. Barks, Aug. 5 in Chicago at ChiTown Drive-In and Aug. 10 in Kansas City at Boulevard Drive-In. Fans can RSVP at returns.airbud.com.
The screenings tie into PEDIGREE’s newly launched “Good Then, Better Now” campaign, which marks the brand’s 40-plus years as part of American households and highlights recent upgrades to its classic dog food recipe.
“For the millions who grew up with Air Bud, we wanted to give our fans a chance to experience the original underdog story on the big screen with their family and dogs, giving a new generation an opportunity to discover him for the first time,” said Robert Vince, Air Bud franchise creator and writer/director of AIR BUD RETURNS.
“With this Summer Series, we’re celebrating everything that made Air Bud and PEDIGREE special then — and making those moments even better now,” Vince added.
Related: Meet the Canine Stars of AIR BUD RETURNS!
Cineverse Chief Motion Pictures Officer Yolanda Macias called AIR BUD RETURNS “literally the ultimate underdog story.”
“By partnering with the PEDIGREE brand to create this dog-friendly event, we’re giving fans of this enduring franchise — and their pups! — a unique way to experience that onscreen magic in the real world with their families,” Macias said.
Each stop will open with a video introduction from Vince, followed by giveaways, PEDIGREE product samples, limited-edition movie merchandise, a themed photo booth and a custom basketball hoop activation nodding to the franchise’s signature gag. Pet hydration stations will be on hand so the four-legged guests stay comfortable too.
The summer series is one piece of a bigger rollout for AIR BUD RETURNS, which also includes a January premiere event ahead of the movie’s wide theatrical release on Jan. 22, 2027 — a date bumped from the movie’s originally announced Aug. 21, 2026 release.
AIR BUD RETURNS follows 14-year-old Jacob, who dreams of playing basketball but feels that dream slip further away after his father’s death. When he and his mom move into his dad’s childhood home in Fernfield — “where anything is possible” — Jacob finds an old VHS tape labeled “Air Bud” and learns his father once played alongside the original hoops-shooting golden retriever. A chance meeting with a stray golden retriever he names Buddy sets off a new partnership, one that unites a team of misfits and, naturally, ain’t no rule says it can’t end in a championship.
Movieguide® praised the original 1997 AIR BUD as “a family film in the best sense,” one that gives parents a chance to talk with their kids about selflessness, teamwork, hard work and family togetherness — themes Air Bud Entertainment has built an entire 15-movie franchise around under its “We Speak Family” banner. This marks Cineverse’s first theatrical family feature, following recent releases like TERRIFIER 3, THE TOXIC AVENGER and RETURN TO SILENT HILL, and the first AIR BUD movie released outside Disney’s distribution since the franchise began nearly three decades ago.
For families weighing what to watch together this summer, AIR BUD has always been a low-risk, high-reward pick — a dog-friendly night out, literally, might be the perfect way to introduce a new generation to Buddy before he returns to theaters next January.
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