{{Short description|Arthouse division of Sony Pictures Entertainment}} {{Redirect|Sony Classics|the record label|Sony Classical Records}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox company | name = Sony Pictures Classics, Inc. | logo = [[File:Sony Pictures Classics logo.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert logo-nobg]] | logo_size = 250px | caption = | type = [[Subsidiary]] | founders = {{ubl|[[Michael Barker (film distributor)|Michael Barker]]|[[Tom Bernard]]|Marcie Bloom}} | foundation = {{start date and age|January 1992}}, in [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S. | defunct = | location = [[New York City]], U.S. | location_city = <!--modifies "Headquarters" entry--> | location_country = <!--modifies "Headquarters" entry--> | locations = <!--# of locations--> | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = {{Plainlist| * [[Michael Barker (film distributor)|Michael Barker]] ([[President (corporate title)|co-president]]) * [[Tom Bernard]] (co-president)}} | num_employees = 25<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=10685634|title=Sony Pictures Classics Bosses Shop Cannes Quality|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=July 28, 2010}}</ref> | industry = [[Outline of entertainment|Entertainment]] | products = [[Film|Motion pictures]] | owner = | parent = [[Sony Pictures|Sony Pictures Entertainment]] | revenue = | homepage = {{URL|https://www.sonyclassics.com/|sonyclassics.com}} }} '''Sony Pictures Classics Inc.''' (also known as '''Sony Classics''' or '''SPC''') is an American [[independent film]] production and distribution company that is an autonomous division of [[Sony Pictures|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 (film distributor)|Michael Barker]], [[Tom Bernard]] and Marcie Bloom.<ref name="SPC at 15">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-pictures-classics-at-15-139749|title=Sony Pictures Classics at 15|first=Anne|last=Thompson|date=October 17, 2006|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209021120/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-pictures-classics-at-15-139749|archive-date=February 9, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=March 4, 2010|quote="They stay behind the films and manage to find a significant core audience for a large number of them, with the occasional $130 million blowout like ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''', [former United Artists president Bingham] Ray says. 'But they spend a fraction of what a major studio would spend to get the same number. Their philosophy is not to pile a lot of money on everything. They run a tight ship; they don't have an army of people working for them. They keep things simple."}} [http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4803238-1.html Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215090950/http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4803238-1.html |date=December 15, 2007 }}</ref> It distributes, produces and acquires specialty films such as [[documentary film|documentaries]], [[independent film|independent]] and [[art film|arthouse]] films. As of 2015, Barker and Bernard are co-presidents of the division.
== History == [[File:6.7.16MichaelBarkerByLuigiNovi1.jpg|thumb|Co-founder and co-president Michael Barker]] Sony Pictures Classics was formed in 1992 by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom, and set up as an autonomous division of [[Sony Pictures]]<ref name="SPC at 15"/> to produce, acquire and/or distribute independent films from the United States and internationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sonyclassics.com/about-us/|title=Sony Pictures Classics – About Us|publisher=SonyClassics.com|access-date=May 27, 2015|archive-date=May 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528011402/http://sonyclassics.com/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref>
It has released films that have won 38 Academy Awards and received 166 nominations,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony Pictures Classics {{!}} About Us |url=https://www.sonyclassics.com/ |access-date=2025-07-01 |website=sonyclassics.com |language=en-US |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101031946/https://www.sonyclassics.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> including Best Picture nominations for ''[[I'm Still Here (2024 film)|I'm Still Here]]'', ''[[The Father (2020 film)|The Father]]'', ''[[Call Me by Your Name (film)|Call Me By Your Name]],'' ''[[Whiplash (2014 film)|Whiplash]]'', ''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]'', ''[[Midnight in Paris]]'', ''[[An Education]]'', ''[[Capote (film)|Capote]]'', ''[[Howards End (film)|Howards End]]'', and ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://scopeweekly.com/2021/11/19/sony-pictures-classics-to-release%E2%80%AFjuho-kuosmanens%E2%80%AFcompartment-no-6-in-theaters-on%E2%80%AFjanuary-26-2022%E2%80%AF/ |title=SONY PICTURES CLASSICS TO RELEASE JUHO KUOSMANEN'S 'COMPARTMENT NO. 6' IN THEATERS |magazine=The Scope Weekly |date= |accessdate=2022-09-03 |archive-date=February 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219203713/https://scopeweekly.com/2021/11/19/sony-pictures-classics-to-release%E2%80%AFjuho-kuosmanens%E2%80%AFcompartment-no-6-in-theaters-on%E2%80%AFjanuary-26-2022%E2%80%AF/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
SPC has a history of making reasonable investments for small films and getting a decent return.<ref name="SPC at 15"/><ref>{{cite web|first=Steve|last=Pond|url=http://www.thewrap.com/article/13-oscar-hopefuls-unlucky-sony-pictures-classics-says-stupid-question-10179|title=Sony Classics' Embarrassment of Oscar Riches|publisher=The Wrap|date=November 16, 2009|access-date=July 28, 2010|quote="It doesn't release blockbusters or Best Picture winners, but its understated business plans reduce risk and keep it in business."|archive-date=January 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123140704/http://www.thewrap.com/article/13-oscar-hopefuls-unlucky-sony-pictures-classics-says-stupid-question-10179|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/park_city_08_sundance_buying_spree_stirs_talk_sony_classics_adds_baghead_ri|title=PARK CITY '08 {{!}} Sundance Buying Spree Stirs Talk; Sony Classics Adds "Baghead," "River," and "Wackness" to '08 Slate|first=Anthony|last=Kaufman|date=January 29, 2008|work=Indiewire|access-date=February 9, 2012|quote="As Bernard explained, 'We're not looking for home runs; we're looking for singles and doubles.' [...] The tortoise-rather-than-the-hare strategy helped the company capture movies that were under the radar of buyers, and as Bernard argued, even sellers."|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061044/http://www.indiewire.com/article/park_city_08_sundance_buying_spree_stirs_talk_sony_classics_adds_baghead_ri|url-status=live}}</ref> It has a history of not overspending.<ref name="SPC at 15"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/04/01/duncan_jones_is_unhappy_about_moon/|title=Duncan Jones is Unhappy About Moon – Thompson on Hollywood|publisher=Indiewire|date=April 1, 2010|access-date=July 28, 2010|quote=SPC had nothing to do with the DVD release, which Jones is unhappy about.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604051314/http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/04/01/duncan_jones_is_unhappy_about_moon/|archive-date=June 4, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its largest commercial success of the 2010s is [[Woody Allen]]'s ''[[Midnight in Paris]]'' (2011), which grossed over $56.8 million in the United States, becoming Allen's highest-grossing film ever in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lauria |first=Peter |date=2013-08-02 |title=The Box Office Gross Of Every Woody Allen Movie Adjusted For Inflation |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peterlauria/the-box-office-gross-of-every-woody-allen-movie-adjusted-for |access-date=2026-05-09 |website=BuzzFeed}}</ref>
SPC has been a pioneer in theatrical distribution. In 2001, it championed the Chinese-language film ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'', which earned 10 nominations, the most ever for a non-English-language film (''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'' would tie it in 2018), and win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and a [[Golden Globe Awards|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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-captured-oscar-gold-20-years-ago-4112816/ | title=Hollywood Flashback: 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Captured Oscar Gold 20 Years Ago | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=January 10, 2021 | access-date=February 20, 2022 | archive-date=February 19, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219213823/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-captured-oscar-gold-20-years-ago-4112816/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2006, SPC promoted ''[[The Lives of Others]]'' to an Oscar and BAFTA, after it was rejected by the [[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]], [[Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin]], [[Venice Film Festival|Venice]] and [[New York Film Festival|New York]] Film Festivals.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/laff-sony-pictures-classics-tom-712541/ | title=LAFF: Sony Pictures Classics' Tom Bernard, Michael Barker Get Spirit of Independence Award | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=June 17, 2014 | access-date=February 20, 2022 | archive-date=February 19, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219202800/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/laff-sony-pictures-classics-tom-712541/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Headshot TOM BERNARD.png|thumb|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.<ref name="SPC at 15"/><ref>{{cite journal|first=Matt|last=Ross|date=February 6, 2006|title=Translating foreign pix to U.S. hits: SPC finds creative solutions to bring home best in overseas fare|journal=Variety}}</ref>
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 (film)|Call Me By Your Name]]'', ''[[Amélie]]'' (re-released by SPC in 2024), ''[[The Lives of Others]]'', ''[[Toni Erdmann]]'', ''[[Whiplash (2014 film)|Whiplash]]'', ''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]'', and ''[[Volver]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=The New York |date=2025-06-23 |title=The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/best-movies-21st-century.html |access-date=2025-07-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250922134002/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/best-movies-21st-century.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Film library == {{Main|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).
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="display: inline-block;" |+Highest-grossing films worldwide ! scope="col" |Rank ! scope="col" |Title ! scope="col" |Year ! scope="col" |Gross |- ! scope="row" |1 |''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' |2000 | style="text-align:right" |$213,966,221<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Box Office and Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=September 4, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250904164213/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |2 |''[[Midnight in Paris]]'' |2011 | style="text-align:right" |$162,051,975<ref>{{Cite web |title=Midnight in Paris (2011) - Box Office and Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Midnight-in-Paris |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=The Numbers}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |3 |''[[Blue Jasmine]]'' |2013 | style="text-align:right" |$102,912,961<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue Jasmine (2013) - Box Office and Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Blue-Jasmine |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=September 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903050550/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Blue-Jasmine |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |4 |''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]'' |2004 | style="text-align:right" |$102,034,104<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Box Office and Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kung-Fu-Hustle-(China)(2004) |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=The Numbers}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |5 |''[[House of Flying Daggers]]'' |2004 | style="text-align:right" |$92,863,945<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Flying Daggers |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0385004/ |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=Box Office Mojo |archive-date=February 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226125920/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0385004/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |6 |''[[The Lives of Others]]'' |2006 | style="text-align:right" |$81,197,047<ref>{{Cite web |title=Das Leben der Anderen (2007) - Box Office and Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Leben-der-Anderen-Das |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=September 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250911102003/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Leben-der-Anderen-Das |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |7 |''[[To Rome with Love (film)|To Rome with Love]]'' |2012 | style="text-align:right" |$74,290,305<ref>{{Cite web |title=To Rome with Love |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1859650/ |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=Box Office Mojo |archive-date=June 3, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250603170450/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1859650/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |8 |''[[Talk to Her]]'' |2002 | style="text-align:right" |$64,826,117<ref>{{Cite web |title=Talk to Her |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0287467/ |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=Box Office Mojo |archive-date=November 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251130121315/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0287467/? |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |9 |''[[Whiplash (2014 film)|Whiplash]]'' |2014 | style="text-align:right" |$50,431,161<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whiplash |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2582802/ |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=Box Office Mojo |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126171214/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2582802/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |10 |''[[Capote (film)|Capote]]'' |2005 | style="text-align:right" |$49,924,079<ref>{{Cite web |title=Capote (2005) - Box Office and Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Capote |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=July 17, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250717125200/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Capote |url-status=live }}</ref> |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.sonyclassics.com}}
{{Sony Corp}} {{Sony Pictures}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Mass media companies established in 1992]] [[Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment|Classics]] [[Category:Sony subsidiaries|Pictures Classics]] [[Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group]] [[Category:Film distributors of the United States]] [[Category:Film production companies of the United States]] [[Category:American independent film studios]] [[Category:Companies based in Los Angeles]] [[Category:Companies based in New York City]] [[Category:American companies established in 1992]] [[Category:1992 establishments in California]] [[Category:American corporate subsidiaries]]