Criterion and Warner Bros.

[dwk]

It would be distributed through Paramount but I wonder if AI: Artificial Intelligence would be in range for Criterion by now, having had Spielberg's direct participation on a recent release, and the releases of both Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut, feels like it makes sense now.

That or Empire of the Sun would be wonderful. Allen Daviau’s work on that and Peter Weir’s Fearless is just amazing

Whatever happened to O Lucky Man! getting a release? I don’t think any 4K of it has screened anywhere

There is a reason I asked in July if anyone had heard any rumors about Lolita or Empire of the Sun. Since Lolita is coming, I'm pretty sure Empire of the Sun is also coming.

[flyonthewall2983]

Follow That Bird? Since the announcement of the Peewee movie I wondered if this title would maybe be considered too.

[ryannichols7]

Follow That Bird? Since the announcement of the Peewee movie I wondered if this title would maybe be considered too.

it would be cool but I personally think that feels like Shout. would be game though, Sesame Street was obviously a large part of my childhood. I think Pee Wee was more likely because of Burton's involvement

[captveg]

This January marks four years since Criterion's first 4K UHD releases. Warner had licensed 51 titles to Criterion that saw release from 2016-2021, and of those 51 they've gone back and upgraded four to 4K UHD: McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Mildred Pierce, Barry Lyndon, and Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Of the remaining titles Warner has done their own 4K UHD release of Pan's Labyrinth and Enter the Dragon; Day for Night has also gone OOP. Since 2022 there have been 33 released/announced WB licensed titles. Only 9 did not get a 4K UHD release, with 7 of those seeing release in 2022-2023 when Criterion was more hesitant to go fully in on UHD.

That leaves 55 titles for potential upgrades, but realistically 51, as the two WB released themselves and the 2 releases that were BD only in 2024-2025 seem really unlikely (Dogfight and Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser).

Of those 51 the Malick titles (Badlands and The New World) would make a ton of sense to upgrade; perhaps one of the screwball comedies: Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, or the noir/crime titles: The Asphalt Jungle, High Sierra. The Before Trilogy (with WB having 2/3 of the titles) also seems more likely than not.

[hearthesilence]

The Before Trilogy would need 4K masters first - the current Blu-rays use the latest 2K restorations, and IIRC Before Midnight was shot digitally in 2K, so there'd be the question of whether it's really worth getting a 4K master that has to extrapolate all that extra data.

[FrauBlucher]

1 more and we can put this list to bed
IN
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid UHD
The Roaring Twenties UHD
Lone Star UHD
Round Midnight
The Philadelphia Story
Hedwig & The Angry Inch
Bringing Up Baby
Arsenic and Old Lace
Mean Streets UHD
Barry Lyndon UHD
Captain Blood UHD

NOT YET
O Lucky Man

[crimlaw]

Judging from that list, Criterion appears to be very fond of films released in 1973.

Maybe Scarecrow is coming soon.

[beamish14]

1 more and we can put this list to bed
IN
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid UHD
The Roaring Twenties UHD
Lone Star UHD
Round Midnight
The Philadelphia Story
Hedwig & The Angry Inch
Bringing Up Baby
Arsenic and Old Lace
Mean Streets UHD
Barry Lyndon UHD
Captain Blood UHD

NOT YET
O Lucky Man

Wasn’t The Butcher Boy a title that was frequently floated?

[FrauBlucher]

This list coincides with WB titles going OOP and Kim Hendrickson commenting about a deal with WB when she was at the Wexner Center nearly 15 years ago

[captveg]

Looking through the Warner licensed titles that didn't get UHD releases but are from 4K masters, and when they were added to the collection. I suspect many of the older ones would need newer 4K masters, but this provides a reasonable narrowing of what could be more easily upgraded to UHD in a random month.

Criterion started 4K UHD releases in November 2021. Criterion was more tentative in 2022 so I would think those titles below may still have an outside chance of being upgraded. However, Thelonius Monk Straight, No Chaser, released in 2025, is the only Warner licensed title from 2023 or later from a 4K master without a UHD release, so chalk that one up as a "probably never" upgrade possibility. Enter the Dragon, with its WHV 2023 UHD release, is also a likely no-go. That leaves 30 titles below with BDs from 4K masters.

2013
Badlands

2015
My Own Private Idaho

2016
The New World
Short Cuts

2017
Being There
Blow-Up
The Philadelphia Story

2018
Female Trouble
The Magnificent Ambersons
True Stories

2019
Death in Venice
A Face in the Crowd
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Klute
Now, Voyager
Polyester

2020
The Cameraman
Crash
Dance, Girl, Dance
Girlfriends
Show Boat

2021
Bringing Up Baby
Deep Cover
Defending Your Life
High Sierra
Love & Basketball

2022
Arsenic and Old Lace
love jones
Pink Flamingos
'Round Midnight

[flyonthewall2983]

It would be distributed through Paramount but I wonder if AI: Artificial Intelligence would be in range for Criterion by now, having had Spielberg's direct participation on a recent release, and the releases of both Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut, feels like it makes sense now.

Before I heard anything about the Kubrick set. Feels even more possible now.

[FlickeringWindow]

Looking through the Warner licensed titles that didn't get UHD releases but are from 4K masters, and when they were added to the collection. I suspect many of the older ones would need newer 4K masters, but this provides a reasonable narrowing of what could be more easily upgraded to UHD in a random month.

Criterion started 4K UHD releases in November 2021. Criterion was more tentative in 2022 so I would think those titles below may still have an outside chance of being upgraded. However, Thelonius Monk Straight, No Chaser, released in 2025, is the only Warner licensed title from 2023 or later from a 4K master without a UHD release, so chalk that one up as a "probably never" upgrade possibility. Enter the Dragon, with its WHV 2023 UHD release, is also a likely no-go. That leaves 30 titles below with BDs from 4K masters.

2013
Badlands

2015
My Own Private Idaho

2016
The New World
Short Cuts

2017
Being There
Blow-Up
The Philadelphia Story

2018
Female Trouble
The Magnificent Ambersons
True Stories

2019
Death in Venice
A Face in the Crowd
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Klute
Now, Voyager
Polyester

2020
The Cameraman
Crash
Dance, Girl, Dance
Girlfriends
Show Boat

2021
Bringing Up Baby
Deep Cover
Defending Your Life
High Sierra
Love & Basketball

2022
Arsenic and Old Lace
love jones
Pink Flamingos
'Round Midnight

Most of these are 2K restorations from 4K scans. Probably wouldn't be a huge undertaking to do a new 4K master, but these are the only ones that were actually finished in 4K:

The Cameraman
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Philadelphia Story
Death in Venice
Pink Flamingos
'Round Midnight
Defending Your Life
Deep Cover
Crash
The New World (171 min cut)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch

The Emigrants, The New Land, and Local Hero have new 4K restorations that did not exist when the Blu-rays were released.

[Finch]

Now that money doesn't appear to be an issue, they should restore all cuts of The New World and not just keep Malick's preferred 171 minute cut updated. After all, some people prefer one of the other cuts (the 150 min edit for me) over the DC, and it was those other cuts that cemented the film's reputation in the first place.

Badlands BD came out in 2013? Oh my. Thin Red Line is even older but that's Fox/Disney.

[beamish14]

It’s surprising that Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain hadn’t gotten a 4K from Criterion or Arrow

[DeprongMori]

Most of these are 2K restorations from 4K scans. Probably wouldn't be a huge undertaking to do a new 4K master, but these are the only ones that were actually finished in 4K:

The Cameraman
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Philadelphia Story
Death in Venice
Pink Flamingos
'Round Midnight
Defending Your Life
Deep Cover
Crash
The New World (171 min cut)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch

The Emigrants, The New Land, and Local Hero have new 4K restorations that did not exist when the Blu-rays were released.

Just saw the new restorations of The Emigrants and The New Land screened in Bologna, and they are gorgeous. The films were under-attended (with the 8 hour commitment, including the break between films, being a big ask during a festival with such rich choices), but completely rewarding.

I had finally picked up Criterion’s Blu-ray just before the new restorations were announced. I hadn’t watch that yet, so can’t compare how great a leap the new restorations are from the older masters, but highly recommended on their own merits.

In their Visconti program, Death in Venice was screened from a DCP. Perhaps someone who saw it there can address the restoration question.