The Criterion Collection

Overview

The Criterion Collection is the most prestigious home video label in the world, dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films in meticulously produced editions for collectors, scholars, and cinephiles. Founded in 1984, Criterion operates at the intersection of cinema preservation, film scholarship, and high-end publishing. Each release is accompanied by extensive supplemental materials including essays, interviews, academic commentary, and archival documents that contextualize the film within cinema history.

Criterion operates from New York and releases approximately 50 to 70 titles per year across physical media (Blu-ray, 4K UHD) and digital distribution through the Criterion Channel streaming service. The label's distinctive black-and-white spine numbering system has become one of the most recognizable cataloging conventions in film culture.

History

The Criterion Collection was founded in 1984 by Bob Stein, Jonathan Turell, and Roger Smith as Criterion, Inc., initially producing LaserDisc editions of classic films with supplemental content. The LaserDisc format allowed Criterion to include director commentaries, deleted scenes, and supplementary materials on the same disc as the film, establishing the model for bonus-content home video releases that every subsequent format has followed.

Janus Films, one of the most significant US distributors of classic international cinema, acquired Criterion in 1984. This relationship gave Criterion access to an extraordinary catalog of world cinema including the films of Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini, Jean Renoir, and hundreds of other directors. The Janus Films catalog forms the core of Criterion's release program.

Criterion transitioned from LaserDisc to DVD in the late 1990s and to Blu-ray in 2008. The label launched the Criterion Channel streaming service in 2019 following the closure of FilmStruck, providing subscribers access to the Criterion catalog and hundreds of additional curated titles.

The label has released films spanning the entirety of cinema history, from Lumiere Brothers actualities to contemporary releases. Each release is treated as a publishing project, with new liner notes essays, new transfers supervised by directors or cinematographers where possible, and carefully curated supplemental materials.

Editorial Philosophy

Criterion's selection criteria prioritize films of artistic significance that deserve careful preservation and scholarly attention. The label releases both canonical masterworks and overlooked films it believes deserve wider recognition. This dual mandate means the catalog includes both Citizen Kane and obscure genre films that Criterion's editors regard as worthy of serious consideration.

The supplemental materials policy is equally distinctive. Criterion invests substantially in commissioning original essays, conducting new interviews with filmmakers and scholars, and tracking down archival documents and photographs. Each release is edited as carefully as a book.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For contemporary filmmakers, a Criterion release represents one of the highest forms of institutional recognition available for a film. The label regularly releases recent films alongside classics, and contemporary directors including Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Alfonso Cuaron, Kelly Reichardt, and Celine Sciamma have had recent work released in the collection.

The Criterion Channel also provides programming that pairs films with curated context, including series built around directors, movements, and themes. For filmmakers interested in cinema history, the Channel is one of the most valuable educational resources available.

See Also

For understanding how home video and streaming rights work in film distribution, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across distribution windows, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.