I admit I fell for the Criterion bug for a while there, I've got a ton of titles I bought just because I wanted to be a part of that collecting "thing", though I accepted I would never be "Criterion Complete", I still wanted a good showing.

I recently realized I was buying a lot of their titles that really weren't for me, but I had convinced myself they were something I should be interested in. I wanted to be part of that collecting "thing".

Now each month on the 15th, if the titles don't immediately leap out at me, I just move on.

I'll still grab anything I find at a thrift store - $3 is basically a rental, and if I can watch it, then flip it for a few bucks over that? Well that's just gravy.

But I'll say this about packaging - the Bruce Lee set may look nice once folded out with the poster and all, but the chipboard is of a lower quality than used for other boxsets I own and I'm afraid it will get worn out quicker than others. And then there's the Godzilla set. Yeah, sure, a "big" set for "big" monster, but a really nice box with 13 regular cases and a booklet would honestly look more impressive on my shelf.

So, I kinda get the packaging complaints, but mainly because their packaging hasn't been that great of late.

Well, it's a damned if you do - damned if you don't scenario for Criterion then.

How many people passed on Criterion's Parasite BD (for example) and bought the 4K release instead? How many people are holding off on buying future Criterion BDs waiting for a studio 4K release? They're losing customers as it is. It's not a good look that the best representation of a film is not being done by Criterion - no matter how much they try to push that narrative. "Director approved" doesn't go very far.

Couple of thoughts here:

1) I'm not really a fan of any non-standard packinging. I prefer plastic cases of a uniform size that I can easily store and organize on my shelves. An over-sized or odd-sized case needs a special home, and when it comes to my collection, I'd rather be able to maximize my storage space. Take the Godzilla set... I'd have rather had that issued in some kind of boxed set that I can stick on a blu-sized shelf.

2) I'm also not a fan of digipaks. They're fragile, and don't hold up to wear (they scuff easily, warp, crease, etc.) even with gently handling. And don't get me started on how places like Amazon, B&N, and other online sellers want to stick them in a bubble mailer and send them on their merry way to my house...

3) I am unaware of the issue about blu-ray/DVD multipaks; I'm not a hardcore Criterion fan (only buy what interests me) and have both DVDs and blu-rays. It seems like a good way to future-proof releases. They should be able to charge the same $40 standard price for them; any increased costs of including the extra disc should be offset by not needing multiple SKUs. Unless people were angry about the size of packaging (DVD collectors would want a taller, DVD-sized package, while blu-ray collectors would want the smaller standard blu-ray sized package).

i have no Criterion bug whatsoever. i just get the movies i like/want or those that i'm pretty positive i'd be interested in...

From Criterion's blog:



DVDs were $30, and Blu-ray releases were $40. The dual-format releases too were $40, so people who were only interested in DVD had to pay a considerable premium for something they didn't want.

If it were up to me, my approach for Criterion UHD releases would be a UHD/BD combo pack and a separate DVD release. No immediately distinctive packaging. A smaller markup (maybe $5 rather than the $10 between DVD and BD). Treat the UHD disc as part of the package rather than a whole new line. Anti-UHD customers would still be forced to pay a little extra to get a movie on Blu-ray, but a more modest premium wouldn't sting too much, especially since there would be far fewer UHD releases every year rather than dual-format-as-standard-practice.

Wow, I forgot that it was way back in 2014 when they stopped doing it. I bought at least one of the dual-format sets in the last year or so, so they've still been in circulation.

I'm cool with this strategy, though I'm sure there would be the vocal few complaining that they have to pay $5 extra for something they won't use (UHD) "in this economy" and blah blah blah. But overall, this would totally work for me as a legitimate compromise.

That's a great idea, makes perfect sense. Which means we'll never see it.


Wow, that's incredible to think it's 6 years and it's still a hot topic.

Though I still have trouble wrapping my head around the number of people (outside of libraries and such) that were still buying DVD over Blu, especially when dealing with a premium product line.

When I buy new Criterions I always go Blu, any DVDs I'm getting are the ones never released on Blu or used I find cheap.


Out of curiosity, are any of the other boutique labels like Arrow and Shout/Scream, etc still bothering with DVD versions?

^ yep. Arrow has DVD-only versions of some of their newest releases on the arrow store.

Other boutiques are less rigid. Several of them (including Shout/Scream and Arrow) will release some titles on Blu-ray only, some as Blu-ray/DVD combo packs, and others as individual DVD and Blu-ray releases. And some (like Code Red, Shout, and even Kino Lorber) still release some titles exclusively on DVD.

Janus page added this recently for the eventual WKW set:
https://www.janusfilms.com/film-sets...2fYbX3R984C2AU

No inclusion of 2046. I wonder if it will be in the actual set, but just not part of the retrospective.

Mondo Macabro still has some titles that are DVD only. Remember that it's not only licensing that these labels have to deal with but available resources. I know Mondo has apparently pointed to a couple of its releases that are unlikely to ever go Blu-ray because original or better elements no longer exist or are lost.

My County Library (still only doing "curb service" buys all the Criterions, but only on DVD.

I always remember Criterion DVDs being $40, the same as blu-ray. Did they reduce the DVD prices when they started issuing blu-rays?

I clearly remember the first Criterion DVDs I bought -- Silence of the Lambs, This is Spinal Tap, Robocop -- being $40 MSRP. I bought those three from BestBuy.com during a big holiday DVD sale back in, I think, '98 when they had everything 60% off. I hadn't even bought a DVD player by then, but still dropped a couple hundred bucks on DVDs in anticipation of getting one. I also bought titles like The Big Lebowsi and Boogie Nights as blind buys. The site was also running slow as shit because of the sale, and it took me about a fifteen to thirty minutes to order each title on dial-up.

In hindsight, I wish had bought more of those early Criterions like The Killer and Hardboiled.

...and crikey, 1998? Has it really been twenty-two years?

Yes, the DVD prices changed when Blu-ray came out.

Packaging for The Elephant Man isn’t anything special at all. Super thin digipack housed in a slip case.

that sux though. getting tomorrow. getting for movie and extras. don't really care about packaging too much anymore...

It just feels kinda flimsy and cheap. Especially by Criterion standards. I’d rather it have just been one of their clear Blu-ray cases.

That's weird. I wonder why it isn't in one of their standard cases. Has that been discussed somewhere and I missed it? I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this release as it's one of my favorite films.

All of their Lynch films seem to be in the non-plastic cases... not sure that's a directive from him or just coincidence.

I hadn't thought about that, but you're right. Interesting.

Sounds like the same as Blue Velvet.

yeah, i don't know why they switch it up. Princess Bride (very odd, like old book style), Blue Velvet, Sex, Lies and Videotape all have weird packaging for no particular reason that i'm aware of...

In for Scorsese and Bunuel and possibly Minding the Gap.

I'm all over the Bunuel (maybe Scorsese/Dylan), and this will be the first blu-rays I will have bought in a very long time!