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Sony Pictures Classics

Arthouse division of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Classics

Arthouse division of Sony Pictures Entertainment

FieldValue
nameSony Pictures Classics, Inc.
logo[[File:Sony Pictures Classics logo.svgframelessclass=skin-invert]]
logo_size250px
typeSubsidiary
founders
foundation, in New York, New York, U.S.
locationNew York City, U.S.
location_city
location_country
locations
area_servedWorldwide
key_people{{Plainlist
num_employees25
industryEntertainment
productsMotion pictures
parentSony Pictures Entertainment
homepage
  • Michael Barker (co-president)
  • Tom Bernard (co-president)}} Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American arthouse film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment and part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. It was founded in January 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produces and acquires specialty films such as documentaries, independent and arthouse films. As of 2015, Barker and Bernard are co-presidents of the division.

History

Co-founder and co-president Michael Barker

Sony Pictures Classics (also known as Sony Classics or SPC) was formed in 1992 by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom, and set up as an autonomous division of Sony Pictures to produce, acquire and/or distribute independent films from the United States and internationally.

It has released films that have won 38 Academy Awards and received 164 nominations, including Best Picture nominations for I'm Still Here, The Father, Call Me By Your Name, Whiplash, Amour, Midnight in Paris, An Education, Capote, Howards End, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

SPC has a history of making reasonable investments for small films and getting a decent return. It has a history of not overspending. Its largest commercial success of the 2010s is Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011), which grossed over $56 million in the United States, becoming Allen's highest-grossing film ever in the United States.

SPC has been a pioneer in theatrical distribution. In 2001 championed the Chinese-language film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which earned the most Oscar nominations ever for a non-English-language film and win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and a Golden Globe in 2001. The film earned over $213 million worldwide on a $17 million budget, including $128 million in the United States as a Sony Pictures Classics release.

In 2006, SPC promoted The Lives of Others to an Oscar and BAFTA, after it was rejected by the Cannes, Berlin, Venice and New York Film Festivals.

Co-founder and co-president Tom Bernard

SPC occasionally agrees to release films for Sony's other film divisions; however, under its structure within Sony, none of the other divisions (including the parent company) can force SPC to release any film it does not want to release.

In 2025, The New York Times polled over 500 filmmakers, actors, and film buffs around the world, compiling a list of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century by collating voters' top ten submitted films; ten titles released by Sony Pictures Classics made the list: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, A Separation, A Prophet, Call Me By Your Name, Amélie (re-released by SPC in 2024), The Lives of Others, Toni Erdmann, Whiplash, Amour, and Volver.

Film library

Main article: List of Sony Pictures Classics films

Highest-grossing films

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) was the company's first film to cross the $100 million mark worldwide, followed by Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Midnight in Paris (2011), and Blue Jasmine (2013).

RankTitleYearGross12345678910
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon2000$213,966,221
Midnight in Paris2011$162,051,975
Blue Jasmine2013$102,912,961
Kung Fu Hustle2004$102,034,104
House of Flying Daggers2004$92,863,945
The Lives of Others2006$81,197,047
To Rome with Love2012$74,290,305
Talk to Her2002$64,826,117
Whiplash2014$50,431,161
Capote2005$49,924,079

References

References

  1. "Sony Pictures Classics Bosses Shop Cannes Quality". [[ABC News (United States).
  2. Thompson, Anne. (October 17, 2006). "Sony Pictures Classics at 15". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. "Sony Pictures Classics – About Us". SonyClassics.com.
  4. "Sony Pictures Classics {{!}} About Us".
  5. "SONY PICTURES CLASSICS TO RELEASE JUHO KUOSMANEN'S 'COMPARTMENT NO. 6' IN THEATERS".
  6. Pond, Steve. (November 16, 2009). "Sony Classics' Embarrassment of Oscar Riches". The Wrap.
  7. Kaufman, Anthony. (January 29, 2008). "PARK CITY '08 {{!}} Sundance Buying Spree Stirs Talk; Sony Classics Adds "Baghead," "River," and "Wackness" to '08 Slate". Indiewire.
  8. (April 1, 2010). "Duncan Jones is Unhappy About Moon – Thompson on Hollywood". Indiewire.
  9. (January 10, 2021). "Hollywood Flashback: 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Captured Oscar Gold 20 Years Ago".
  10. (June 17, 2014). "LAFF: Sony Pictures Classics' Tom Bernard, Michael Barker Get Spirit of Independence Award".
  11. Ross, Matt. (February 6, 2006). "Translating foreign pix to U.S. hits: SPC finds creative solutions to bring home best in overseas fare". Variety.
  12. Times, The New York. (2025-06-23). "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century". The New York Times.
  13. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Box Office and Financial Information".
  14. "Midnight in Paris (2011) - Box Office and Financial Information".
  15. "Blue Jasmine (2013) - Box Office and Financial Information".
  16. "Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Box Office and Financial Information".
  17. "House of Flying Daggers".
  18. "Das Leben der Anderen (2007) - Box Office and Financial Information".
  19. "To Rome with Love".
  20. "Talk to Her".
  21. "Whiplash".
  22. "Capote (2005) - Box Office and Financial Information".
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This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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