Nicolas Cage’s Madden biopic skips cinemas — Prime Video gets it November 18

Nicolas Cage’s John Madden biopic will stream on Prime Video from November 18 — and it is skipping cinemas. Variety reports that Amazon MGM’s film gets an awards-qualifying theatrical run in early November but no nationwide release.

David O. Russell’s Madden charts the coach’s path from the Oakland Raiders sidelines — Super Bowl XI included — through three decades as the most recognisable voice in American football broadcasting, to the EA Sports franchise that made his name a video game fixture. Cage is joined by Christian Bale as Raiders owner Al Davis, Kathryn Hahn as Madden’s wife Virginia, John Mulaney as EA founder Trip Hawkins, Sienna Miller and Shane Gillis.

The official synopsis calls the film “the celebration of a brilliant mind whose once in a century spirit and personality, partnership with his wife Virginia, lifelong friendships, and infectious love of people and football transcended the world of sports.” The teaser is here:

The streaming-first plan is not what Amazon MGM would have chosen for most directors of Russell’s résumé — he made Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. Variety points to his documented history of on-set conflict and to the collapse of his last film, 2022’s Amsterdam, which took $31m worldwide against an $80m budget.

In the UAE, Madden streams on the same day, on the local version of Prime Video. It is included with Amazon Prime, which costs AED 16 a month (AED 8 for the first three months) or about AED 140 a year. The film joins recent Prime Video UAE arrivals like The Devil’s Mouth and, later this year, James Wan’s RoboCop series.