SONY PICTURES CLASSICS TO RELEASE CRAIG ROBERTS’ 'THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN' STARRING MARK RYLANCE, SALLY HAWKINS, AND RHYS IFANS IN THEATERS ON JUNE 3RD

NEW YORK (March 31, 2022) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they will release Craig Roberts’ THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN in New York and Los Angeles on June 3, 2022, with a wider release in additional markets throughout the following weeks. The heartwarming true story stars Academy Award^® winner Mark Rylance, Academy Award^® nominee Sally Hawkins, and BAFTA^® Award nominee Rhys Ifans, with a screenplay adapted by Simon Farnaby from his own book of the same name, co-authored by Scott Murray. The film received rave reviews out of its world premiere at the 65^th BFI London Film Festival last year.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN is a co-production between Water & Power Productions and Baby Cow Productions, and is produced by Kate Glover, Nichola Martin and Tom Miller. Executive producers are Christine Langan and James Swarbrick together with Cornerstone Films’ Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder, Ingenious Media’s Peter Touche and Christelle Conan, Mary Burke for the BFI and BBC Film’s Rose Garnett and Emma Duffy. The film was developed by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery and BBC Film. Funding came from the BFI, BBC Film and Ingenious Media.

The film follows Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a dreamer and unrelenting optimist who managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship Qualifying in 1976 and subsequently shot the worst round in Open history, becoming a folk hero in the process. 

This project reunites Sony Pictures Classics with Sally Hawkins, who previously starred in the 2016 film MAUDIE and the 2013 drama BLUE JASMINE, the latter earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 86^th Academy Awards. The film also marks a continued artistic relationship between Hawkins and Roberts; the pair previously worked together on Roberts’ 2019 directorial debut, ETERNAL BEAUTY, and both starred in Richard Ayoade’s 2010 coming-of-age film SUBMARINE.

Watch the official trailer here. For additional information and assets, visit: 

https://www.sonyclassics.com/film/thephantomoftheopen/

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS   

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.  Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 41 Academy Awards^® (37 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 183 Academy Award® nominations (157 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for THE FATHER, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. 

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT  

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.