The Criterion Collection

The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American <a href="/facts/Home_video/0Uw329Kj">home-video</a> distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of <a href="/facts/Art_film/w1IdYSlb">arthouse</a> <a href="/facts/Film_distributor/L65aHRp0">film distributor</a> <a href="/facts/Janus_Films/YqYLfP94">Janus Films</a>, Criterion serves film and media scholars, <a href="/facts/Cinephilia/2qWnIA24">cinephiles</a> and public and academic libraries. Criterion has helped to standardize certain aspects of home-video releases such as <a href="/facts/Film_preservation/PK7SeNh2">film restoration</a>, the <a href="/facts/Letterboxing_(filming)/9RyUXoUr">letterboxing</a> format for widescreen films and the inclusion of bonus features such as scholarly essays and documentary content about the films and filmmakers. Criterion most notably pioneered the use of <a href="/facts/Audio_commentary/94a6xwD9">commentary tracks</a>. Criterion has produced and distributed more than 1,200 <a href="/facts/Special_edition/femghLFN">special editions</a> of its films in <a href="/facts/VHS/aN1lffdC">VHS</a>, <a href="/facts/Betamax/ksdxknFD">Betamax</a>, <a href="/facts/LaserDisc/nU4WJhDM">LaserDisc</a>, <a href="/facts/DVD/7fJsHJrN">DVD</a>, <a href="/facts/Blu-ray/zyPalhfG">Blu-ray</a> and <a href="/facts/Ultra_HD_Blu-ray/NTJErxVg">Ultra HD Blu-ray</a> formats and box sets. These films and their special features are also available via The Criterion Channel, an online <a href="/facts/Streaming_service_provider/BCQ2rPle">streaming service</a> that the company operates.
The Criterion Collection is considered the leading <a href="/facts/Boutique_Blu-ray_label/zyPalhfG">boutique Blu-ray label</a>.
In the United States, their releases are currently distributed by <a href="/facts/Warner_Bros._Discovery_Home_Entertainment/QqjE1WEy">Studio Distribution Services</a>, a joint venture between <a href="/facts/Universal_Pictures_Home_Entertainment/c4stxYnE">Universal Pictures Home Entertainment</a> and <a href="/facts/Warner_Bros._Discovery_Home_Entertainment/QqjE1WEy">Warner Bros. Home Entertainment</a>, via a distribution deal with <a href="/facts/Sony_Pictures_Home_Entertainment/yPJt0tlx">Sony Pictures Home Entertainment</a>, who released the company's content on home video from 2013 to 2024. In the United Kingdom, Spirit Entertainment handles distribution of Criterion titles since October 2023. In Canada, their releases are currently distributed by Unobstructed View since 2019, after their deal with <a href="/facts/Entertainment_One/kyYrsau6">Entertainment One</a> expired that year.

The Criterion Collection open-in-new

The Criterion Collection