Artists Equity Partners with Netflix for Exciting New Streaming Collaboration

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gerry Cardinale’s Artists Equity Partners with Netflix

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gerry Cardinale’s production company, Artists Equity, has secured a multiyear streaming first-look, production, and distribution agreement with Netflix. As part of this partnership, Artists Equity will lead the production of its films for the streaming giant.

The announcement follows the success of The Rip, which premiered on Netflix on January 16. The action thriller captured significant audience attention, spending three weeks at the top of the streamer’s Global Weekly Top 10 chart and accumulating over 112.3 million views within six weeks.

Directed by Joe Carnahan, The Rip features a star-studded cast including Damon, Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, and Catalina Sandino Moreno, alongside Scott Adkins and Kyle Chandler. The film was produced by Affleck, Damon, and Luciana Damon, alongside Dani Bernfeld.

In a statement released on Monday, Affleck and Damon expressed their enthusiasm for the deal, stating, “This is an incredible milestone for Artists Equity and one that validates the vision we’ve been working towards since 2022.” They highlighted a growing need for an independent supplier comfortable throughout the creative process, asserting that Netflix is an ideal match for their work. The duo emphasized their confidence that The Rip is merely the beginning of their collaborative success.

Artists Equity also has a theatrical film agreement with Sony Pictures, which enables them to develop and produce films for global distribution. These films will be available on Netflix due to a Pay-1 deal with Sony.

Netflix’s Chairman of Film, Dan Lin, noted the expanded partnership, emphasizing that both parties share a commitment to producing bold, original films. He praised Affleck and Damon for their proactive approach to filmmaking and expressed excitement for the upcoming release of Animals, another project from Artists Equity set to premiere later this year. The film stars Affleck alongside Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher, Matt Gerald, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Yeun.