The Criterion Collection

The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home entertainment distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring, and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of arthouse film distributor Janus Films, Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinephiles, 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 1,500 special editions of its films in VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc, DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray formats and box sets. The Criterion Collection includes titles by some 600 directors from more than 50 countries. Many of these films and their special features are also available via the Criterion Channel, an online streaming service the company has operated since April of 2019. The Criterion Collection is considered one of the leading boutique Blu-ray labels. Each year, Criterion adds 50 to 60 titles to its catalog. In the United States, their releases are distributed by Alliance Entertainment (no relation to the former Canadian company of the same name), via their Distribution Solutions division. In the United Kingdom, Spirit Entertainment handles distribution of Criterion titles since October 2023. UK distribution was previously through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) since 2016. In Canada, their releases are distributed by Unobstructed View since 2019, after their deal with Entertainment One expired.