Newest 'Air Bud' Movie Hitting Nothing but Net With Return to Theaters in 2026 — How Many 'Air Bud' Movies Are There?
There's a lot of 'Air Bud' movies. More than you might have realized.
Published July 25 2025, 3:53 p.m. ET
When most people are feeling a little down, there's nothing quite like a deep dive into something nostalgic to get that dopamine flowing again and ease some of those sad feelings.
Which may be why so many companies are resurrecting favorites from the '90s. After all, millennials are entering middle age and taking over companies.
This is giving them a chance to bring their childhoods back to life in a comforting way that also ensures their children get a taste of what it was like to grow up before the world pressed fast-forward on everything.
Enter: the Air Bud franchise. The first movie aired in 1997, captivating hearts everywhere with the story of a dog and his hoops. Over the years, many more Air Bud movies have come out, and now there's one being released in 2026. But how many movies are there?
How many 'Air Bud' movies are there?!
The very first Air Bud movie had a simple plot: An unexpected player joins the school basketball team — a circus dog who escaped from a cruel master. A golden retriever with a heart of gold, Buddy quickly became the world's favorite basketball player and launched a franchise that is still releasing movies to this day.
There have been 14 Air Bud movies through the years, according to IMDb, not including a surprise release coming in 2026:
- Air Bud (1997)
- Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998)
- Air Bud: World Pup (2000)
- Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch (2002)
- Air Bud: Spikes Back (2003)
- Air Buddies (2006)
- Snow Buddies (2008)
- Space Buddies (2009)
- Santa Buddies (2009)
- The Search for Santa Paws (2010)
- Spooky Buddies (2011)
- Treasure Buddies (2012)
- Santa Paws 2: The Treasure Pups (2012)
- Super Buddies (2013).
Over the years, the franchise grew to embrace new stars, including puppies and new plot lines. They have released several holiday-related movies, hitting streaming services just at the right time for Gen Z to join the Air Bud fandom.
'Air Bud' is coming back in 2026, which is just the nostalgic treat a weary world needs.
And now, Gens Alpha and Beta get to enjoy yet another iteration of the Air Bud franchise with a 2026 release announced in July 2025, making it the 15th movie in the franchise.
Cineverse and Air Bud Entertainment made the announcement to the surprise and delight of franchise fans the world over.
In a press release, the companies announced plans to release Air Bud Returns in 2026. And there's more: it's coming to theaters, making this the first Air Bud movie to release in theaters since 1998.
As the press release jokes, "Ain't no rule says a dog can't release another movie," and we heartily agree. While the original Air Bud has long since passed away, the movie offers a chance to bring several generational memories together and do something really special with them.
According to Entertainment Weekly, "The new movie centers around a 12-year-old boy named Jacob, who moves into his father's childhood home in Ferndale after he passes away. He discovers an old VHS tape of Air Bud and encounters a stray golden retriever, which he names Buddy. The two bond, join a basketball team, and chase their championship dreams."
Say no more: We're in.