The Criterion Collection Adds THE IRISHMAN and More Netflix Titles to its Home Video Release Catalog

The Criterion Collection will add four of Netflix’s 2019 releases to its Home Video line-up

The streaming giant Netflix announced that four of its recent releases were selected for The Criterion Collection home media release.

In a tweet posted on January 24, 2020, Netflix said the illustrious home video company chose The Irishman, Marriage Story, American Factory, and Atlantics to add to their collection. Netflix says all of these titles will bow sometime later this year. The Irishman will be Scorsese’s third film as part of the Criterion Collection, and Marriage Story will be Baumbach’s fourth. American Factory and Atlantics will be first additions for directors Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, and Mati Diop, respectively.

These aren’t the first Netflix titles to earn a Criterion release – that honor goes to the 2018 critical darling Roma, which will release on February 11, 2020. However, the number is still significant, as it represents what IndieWire’s Ryan Lattanzio calls “[the] testament to the rapidly growing ubiquity of the streamer”.

Criterion has long been focused on preserving and restoring films that it believes are important to the medium, which has it gained a certain air of prestige among cinephile circles. In an era of digital downloads and streaming pervasiveness, Criterion has also been prominent in the promotion of physical media. (The company does operate its own streaming service, but outside of special features it does not produce its own content.)

With Netflix films getting the Criterion treatment, it’s another transition out of the digital realm and into the physical one. It could be evident that the streamer is starting to think of the lasting cultural impact of their work as they start to step outside of just the “Content” box.

The Irishman, Marriage Story, and American Factory are up for a combined total of 17 Oscars at the upcoming Academy Awards. The first two titles are both nominated for Best Picture, while the latter is up for Best Documentary Feature. Atlantics, which is director Mati Diop’s feature debut, won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. All four films are currently streaming on Netflix and are playing in select theatres.

Leave your thoughts on these four Netflix titles being added to the Criterion Collection (via IndieWire) and this article below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Home Entertainment News. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.