Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[Matt]

Through no fault of your own, I have completely lost interest in this subject. Knives, can you give me an idea of what's going on in the political thread? Is it exploding?

You can join it. You meet the qualifications. Though I can tell you it's extremely quiet.

[MichaelB]

The total number of posts made since they were reactivated is in low single figures.

[MichaelB]

I'm curious, is there some sort of home media market wisdom that dictates that a boutique label must/should always release between like 4-7 titles per month? And if so, why? I mean, Criterion's pretty massive at this point aren't they, and yet they release as many titles a month as Radiance, basically.

I can’t speak for any label other than Indicator, but with three full-time producers and a full-time technical producer (me), four to seven individual discs per month, with a BD and a UHD of the same title counting as two, is about our realistic limit if we’re to avoid corners being cut.

[Stefan Andersson]

Criterion will apparently release Melville´s Deuxième Souffle.

In Nov. 2025, somebody emailed French home video editor Le chat qui fume about their UHD of Melville´s Deuxième Souffle:
"I e-mailed the website about the (lack of)English subtitles. /../ they told me that Criterion will be releasing this in the States. /../ likely sometime in 2026."
See post 32:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.ph ... 616&page=2

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Welcome II the Terrordome should be out this year (hopefully) as Ashley Clark said on the Film Comment podcast he'd be attending the restoration premiere in March.

[Ribs]

Criterion will be releasing Frankenstein and KPop Demon Hunters

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

What’s the point of Criterion even having the Janus catalog anymore if Netflix and Neon have more sway over them?

[jt938]

Wtf? I expected Frankenstein to be coming because it's Del Toro but KPop Demon Hunters? Hopefully they will do The Ballad of Buster Scruggs or Glass Onion/Wake Up Dead Man as well or hell surprise us with a Stranger Things boxset.

[CSM126]

Oh no they’re going to release something that will sell bucket loads and subsidize some board darling that won’t sell hardly at all. It’s almost like they’ve been using this formula since the 1980s.

[Finch]

KPop Demon Hunters is a surprise but it's a pass for me, as is Frankenstein.

[diamonds]

Oh no they’re going to release something that will sell bucket loads and subsidize some board darling that won’t sell hardly at all. It’s almost like they’ve been using this formula since the 1980s.

Eagerly awaiting the day Criterion uses their KPop Demon Hunters money to start cranking out Raúl Ruiz releases

[Zot!]

KPop Demon Hunters is a surprise

My seven year old will be thrilled. We just attended the local Demon Hunters themed roller-skating night. It combined her two favorite things (besides rotting her teeth with candy). She has also started watching a weird Korean soap on Netflix called "Business Proposal" that is not at all age appropriate, but for some reason she is taken by it. Here's hoping this subsidizes some more Korean releases!

Bring on the Labubu movie!

[ianthemovie]

What is the source for this information? The Variety article just says "Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and “KPop Demon Hunters” have been added to the Criterion Collection." In addition to the wording being inaccurate (they have not "been added," at least not yet) there is no proof verifying this.

[FrauBlucher]

What the hell is preventing Buster Scruggs from a release?

[cdnchris]

My daughter will be happy!

[dwk]

What the hell is preventing Buster Scruggs from a release?

At the time of Criterion's first Netflix releases, rumor was the Coen Brothers lack of interested in participating in special features.

[domino harvey]

Paucity of bonus features hasn’t exactly been holding up other Criterion releases

[cdnchris]

What is the source for this information? The Variety article just says "Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and “KPop Demon Hunters” have been added to the Criterion Collection." In addition to the wording being inaccurate (they have not "been added," at least not yet) there is no proof verifying this.

They worded it the same when they announced the upcoming Neon titles, which happened (well, Sentimental Value so far).

At the time of Criterion's first Netflix releases, rumor was the Coen Brothers lack of interested in participating in special features.

If they do, it will probably be just an interview with Megan Abbott (though I've found those to be good, at least).

[dwk]

Paucity of bonus features hasn’t exactly been holding up other Criterion releases

True, but it seems to me that filmmakers' interest in physical media releases happening helped push Netflix to license out their films.

[domino harvey]

Frankenstein seems inevitable given the other GDT releases. K-pop Demon Hunters is a surprise but would be a license for printing money from any label releasing it. I’m more surprised that Netflix wouldn’t figure out how to release it themselves like they did with Stranger Things (I guess it not originating from NF may preclude that)

[cdnchris]

Frankenstein seems inevitable given the other GDT releases. K-pop Demon Hunters is a surprise but would be a license for printing money from any label releasing it. I’m more surprised that Netflix wouldn’t figure out how to release it themselves like they did with Stranger Things (I guess it not originating from NF may preclude that)

I figured K-pop would get something, though I thought maybe through Sony since that's where it came from originally. I think they did something similar with The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (which has a funny reference to Criterion on the cover mentioning how a "certain unnamed 'collection' that celebrates so-called 'important film making achievements' has for some reason not responded to any of my letters!")

[bainbridgezu]

KPop Demon Hunters is a surprise

My seven year old will be thrilled. We just attended the local Demon Hunters themed roller-skating night. It combined her two favorite things (besides rotting her teeth with candy). She has also started watching a weird Korean soap on Netflix called "Business Proposal" that is not at all age appropriate, but for some reason she is taken by it. Here's hoping this subsidizes some more Korean releases!

Bring on the Labubu movie!

Paul King is directing it for Sony

[ryannichols7]

I'm actually stunned K-Pop Demon Hunters is happening but hey, why not? if anything this further shows that Netflix is willing to license just about anything to Criterion, which I know was a concern for a lot of people

so anyway, The Other Side of the Wind...

[CSM126]

I'm actually stunned K-Pop Demon Hunters is happening but hey, why not? if anything this further shows that Netflix is willing to license just about anything to Criterion, which I know was a concern for a lot of people

so anyway, The Other Side of the Wind...

I wonder if this is a Benjamin Button situation where the studio licenses the Criterion branding instead of the other way around.

[Lowry_Sam]

It will probably work better than Jellyfish Eyes in attracting a younger audience and making some money to fund other projects to boot.

Another del Toro is no surprise.