Battle of the Sexes

Completed2017121 min

In 1973, Billie Jean King is fighting for recognition and fair treatment in professional tennis while Bobby Riggs turns a proposed match into a…Read more +Read less −

In 1973, Billie Jean King is fighting for recognition and fair treatment in professional tennis while Bobby Riggs turns a proposed match into a public contest over gender. Their encounter promises a spectacle, but King carries pressures that extend well beyond one opponent or one tournament. Away from the cameras, her growing relationship with hairdresser Marilyn Barnett brings private desires into conflict with the life people expect her to lead. The film moves between the business of sport, media performance and the emotional risks of discovering a new relationship. Its version of King’s story places the famous match alongside a more intimate struggle over visibility, independence and the freedom to define herself on her own terms.

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Drama Romance Sport

Sapphic characters & cast

Emma Stone

as Billie Jean King

Main sapphic character

1988-11-06 · ♏ Scorpio

Apple TV credited performer publicity portrait, exact film cast panel

Andrea Riseborough

as Marilyn Barnett

Main sapphic character

1981-11-20 · ♏ Scorpio

Apple TV credited performer publicity portrait, exact film cast panel

YOUR FIRST LOOK

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Watch trailer on tv.apple.com ↗

BEHIND THE SCENES

Details & credits

Country: United States, United Kingdom
Language: English
Premiere: 2017-09-22
Runtime: 121 minutes
Director: Jonathan Dayton · Valerie Faris

Film distributor/platform exact-film key art; rights pending editorial review

Artwork source & permission status

Editorial review approved — rights not independently confirmed

Film distributor/platform exact-film key art; rights pending editorial review

Original publication ↗

Sources & editorial notes (7)

Last researched 2026-10-30. Editorially approved.

year: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
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country: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
language: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
directors: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
description: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
trailer url: Official film-specific platform Trailers section
watch links: Film-specific official viewing destination; region/entitlement restrictions, playback not performed
western cast: Official exact-film platform edition and credited cast
premiere date: Exact selected platform/territory release date; not necessarily first world premiere
runtime minutes: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
classification note: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence
representation type: Exact-film identity and substantive sapphic lead-story evidence