 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture video production |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founders |
|
| Fate | Physical media operations transferred to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment then to Studio Distribution Services via SPHE. Its labels remain in use on Sony/SDS-distributed releases. |
| Successors | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (physical media, 2013-2024) Studio Distribution Services (physical media via SPHE, 2024-present) |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S.[1] |
Area served |
|
Key people | |
| Products | |
| Owner | The Voyager Company (1985–1997) Steven Rales (2024–present) |
Number of employees | 40[1] |
| Parent | Janus Films |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | criterion |
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films".[3] A de facto subsidiary of arthouse film distributor Janus Films, Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinephiles[4][5] and public and academic libraries. Criterion has helped to standardize certain aspects of home-video releases such as film restoration, the letterboxing 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 commentary tracks. Criterion has produced and distributed more than one thousand special editions of its films in VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc, DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray formats and box sets. These films and their special features are also available via The Criterion Channel, an online streaming service that the company operates.
The Criterion Collection is considered the leading boutique Blu-ray label.[6][7]
Their releases are currently distributed by Studio Distribution Services, a joint venture between Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, via a distribution deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, who released the company's content on home video from 2013 to 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Criterion Collection Inc". Hoover's. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
- ^ Bachman, Justin (April 16, 2014). "How Hulu Found a Subscriber Lure in Obscure Films". Bloomberg Business. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ Hunt, Joshua (February 29, 2024). "Sure, It Won an Oscar. But Is It Criterion? - How the Criterion Collection became the film world's arbiter of taste". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Criterion Mission Statement". Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
- ^ "How Criterion Collection Brings Movies Back From the Dead – Gizmodo on YouTube". YouTube. February 26, 2015. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Kozak, Oktay Ege (December 5, 2017). "The Best Boutique Blu-ray Distributors (Who Aren't Criterion)". Paste. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Jarvis, Henry (August 12, 2022). "10 Best Boutique Blu-Ray Brands". CBR.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.