Throughout the year, the curatorial distribution firm “Criterion” announced that select Netflix-exclusive films will have physical restorations as part of Criterion’s official collection. Each copy will be available in 4K resolution as well as standard Blu-ray and DVD quality. Some will include concept art related to each film.
The first film in their unofficial Netflix-release series, Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” a biopic about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s critically acclaimed feature film “Breathless,” was released on September 22 of this year and accompanied by an essay by film critic Nick James in Criterion’s companion journal Current. Longtime Criterion consumers on the r/Criterion subreddit had mixed feelings about this collaboration; many enjoyed having a permanent copy of the film rather than the more fleeting experience of streaming platforms, while others were unsure how the collection would justify adding so many commercially popular films to its catalog at once while still keeping their existing customer base.
The Criterion catalog will add “KPop Demon Hunters” and the Oscar-nominated “Frankenstein.” Announced in February, the DVDs include 3-4 discs, plus companion concept-art pieces, and will be available for purchase on Nov. 3. Longtime consumers appear apprehensive about the new wave of Netflix-exclusive films being reissued by the DVD distributor. While some are excited to see more contemporary films in the collection that more general audiences can relate to, other Criterion patrons worry the film is too mainstream to be worthy of the distributor’s prestigious stamp of approval.
Users of the forum generally expressed enthusiasm for the “KPop Demon Hunters” physical release, with user das_goose writing the film could be used as a “gateway drug” into the world of DVD collecting. In the same thread, longtime collectors were confused by Criterion’s decision to distribute this film, with user Hotwingslover87 stating they were “baffled” by this title choice. In the subreddit’s official release thread, user respectablehandle admitted to enjoying the film but was unsure whether it met industry standards for “Criterion material.” The same conflict applied to the announcement of “Frankenstein”: subreddit member JP09 admired the release but said their only hesitation in purchasing was that they “didn’t like the movie,” while user thisadventureends couldn’t wait to get their “grubby little hands” on the upcoming release.
“KPop Demon Hunters,” a children’s animated film starring EJAE, Audrey Nuna, May Hong, and Arden Cho, was released exclusively on Netflix last June. It was the most-streamed Netflix original project of 2025, earning about 207 million views worldwide, according to the Nielsen Annual Marketing Report. “Frankenstein,” directed by Guillermo Del Toro and starring Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi, received critical acclaim from industry professionals, earning around $555,000 at the box office despite a $120 million budget. Consumers can buy the standalone Blu-ray/DVD for about $31 retail, or the 4K edition for $43.
Growth algorithm platform Growjo estimates the collection’s annual revenue at around $35 million (since Criterion is not an IPO company, its revenue, expense, and profit reports are not available to the public.) By contrast, Netflix reported annual revenue of $19.96 billion in the U.S.-Canada region alone in 2025, adding 30 million net subscribers the previous year.
For Criterion, these deals with Netflix could help the company shift its brand identity to better suit the digital age, potentially attracting more younger customers and enabling it to sell more commercially valuable content. For Netflix, this informal merging allows the streaming service to add a level of prestige and artistic significance to its high-grossing numbers and the ability to access “pickier” consumers who might be willing to pay a higher one-time rate for specific editions and/or titles but are not willing to commit to subscriptions for access to a single movie, making this deal an alternative revenue stream for both entities.
The Criterion Collection previously distributed other Netflix-exclusive features, such as Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” in physical formats over the course of six years. By the end of 2026, the Criterion Collection will have distributed 13 Netflix-exclusive films.
