The Criterion Collection

[regeyer]

I think Criterion is going to have to start increasing the number of titles they release, especially in UHD. If they don't, sales are going to suffer. Significantly. Why? Because people will choose not to buy and wait for the inevitable UHD release. It's common sense really.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I think Criterion is going to have to start increasing the number of titles they release, especially in UHD. If they don't, sales are going to suffer. Significantly. Why? Because people will choose not to buy and wait for the inevitable UHD release. It's common sense really.

Other boutique labels that have made the jump to 4K (Arrow, Shout, Kino, etc..) still release 4K-restored/scanned films on Blu-ray. Most people don't expect every single film to get a 4K release. You also have to keep in mind that the 4K market is still relatively small compared to Blu-ray, so the big news that Criterion will finally release UHD doesn't really make a difference to that vast majority of people that are buying their releases. So, I don't really see their sales suffering because of this. I think with some titles that could be the case, but if Criterion releases some obscure film from Hungary that came from a 4K restoration, people aren't going to expect a UHD of it.

I actually thought of an interesting solution for this very problem the other day. I thought about how Criterion may be able to quiet the fears of having to double-dip, and I figured maybe Criterion could include an "upgrade voucher' with every new Blu-ray only release. And if in the future Criterion did release that same film on UHD, a person could mail in that voucher (or maybe submit it online with the voucher's unique code), with say $10 (the difference between a BD and UHD release) and Criterion would send them the disc(s).

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

I'm sure this has been posted already, but $60 is horseshit. There's no movie good enough to warrant that price. Also, why would you include a 1080p BD in the set? People who buy the UHD release aren't gonna use it.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

I'm sure this has been posted already, but $60 is horseshit. There's no movie good enough to warrant that price. Also, why would you include a 1080p BD in the set? People who buy the UHD release aren't gonna use it.

As an incentive for people to "future proof" their collections.

[tama]

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

As an incentive for people to "future proof" their collections.

Or they know their fans will foolishly pay the price when it costs very little to produce the UHD disk that have 4K masters that were were also used for 1080p releases.

I'm also thinking these will NOT be part of the summer and winter sales.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

Or they know their fans will foolishly pay the price when it costs very little to produce the UHD disk that have 4K masters that were were also used for 1080p releases.

I'm also thinking these will NOT be part of the summer and winter sales.

Just admit, you have no clue what you are talking about

[jshaide]

The only fool is the one who will pay MSRP for a Criterion in the first place.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by jshaide

The only fool is the one who will pay MSRP for a Criterion in the first place.

I pity the fool!

[dvining]

I'm going to pay $30 for the UHD of Citizen Kane in February, and I'm going to consider the purchase well worth it.

It should be at least a minor upgrade from my DVD.

[WrinklyPants]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

Or they know their fans will foolishly pay the price when it costs very little to produce the UHD disk that have 4K masters that were were also used for 1080p releases.

I'm also thinking these will NOT be part of the summer and winter sales.

Yeah, you're really just looking for something to hate on Criterion for, aren't you. Of course they'll be in the summer and winter sales. That's what the gross 50/60 MSRP is for-- to be cut in half comfortably. This is so obviously built on their standard pricing and sales scheme that I can't even conceive why you would think they're throwing that out the window. The fact that you're complaining it's ludicrous shows you know how absurd it would be, and you're still leaping onto it.

I've had plenty of complaints with Criterion over the years, but at least I don't pull them out of thin air. Sheesh.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by dvining

I'm going to pay $30 for the UHD of Citizen Kane in February, and I'm going to consider the purchase well worth it.

It should be at least a minor upgrade from my DVD.

As someone who isn't interested in UHDs, I have to say that if I WERE I would absolutely not consider an additional $5 during a sale to be an awful price jump.

And a thing like KANE's price is an outlier, the occasional Criterion release that is MSRP at 50 because of an abundance of extras (HIS GIRL FRIDAY comes to mind).

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

I'm sure this has been posted already, but $60 is horseshit. There's no movie good enough to warrant that price. Also, why would you include a 1080p BD in the set? People who buy the UHD release aren't gonna use it.

It’s multiple discs of content not counting the BD - we’re talking, what, 20 hours of content. That’s an astonishing amount of content, and a lot of families pay way more just for tickets to see a single cruddy movie, not counting concessions. And I think an enormous segment of Criterion customers aren’t going to be paying more than $30 for it.

As someone who remembers the days where people regularly paid $125 for a deluxe Criterion laserdisc - in 1988 dollars! - your estimate of a movie’s value makes me giggle.

[biglou114]

If you are looking for an outside example of thousands of people buying a single movie for too much, look here:

https://shop.a24films.com/products/m...32160093077553

[dvining]

Originally Posted by jshaide

As someone who isn't interested in UHDs, I have to say that if I WERE I would absolutely not consider an additional $5 during a sale to be an awful price jump.

And a thing like KANE's price is an outlier, the occasional Criterion release that is MSRP at 50 because of an abundance of extras (HIS GIRL FRIDAY comes to mind).

I imagine the packaging is going to be rather ornate, so it could help make it all worth it. But yeah, His Girl Friday came with a whole other movie that was also restored (unlike something like Killer's Kiss on The Killing). Seven Samurai has a higher than normal MSRP because, I guess, it spans two discs.

$50 for UHD regularly with sale prices at $25? That's fine. It's the outer edge of what I want to spend most of the time for an individual title, but I'm largely okay with it.

[ShellOilJunior]

Kane on UHD is arguably going to be the definitive version of the movie (Aside from being able to own your own dcp). Disk rot aside, you'll never purchase the movie again. $30 on sale (or even $47 from Criterion.com) sounds like a fair price.

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I think Criterion is going to have to start increasing the number of titles they release, especially in UHD. If they don't, sales are going to suffer. Significantly. Why? Because people will choose not to buy and wait for the inevitable UHD release. It's common sense really.

Previously a lot of people were already avoiding releases that either already had, or were likely to get a new 4K release in some region (especially since they're region free).

I think Criterion will do fine if they stick to 3 UHD announcements per month for now.

[Dk8819]

Originally Posted by biglou114

If you are looking for an outside example of thousands of people buying a single movie for too much, look here:

https://shop.a24films.com/products/m...32160093077553

That’s a fantastic release and well worth the money.

[Dk8819]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

I'm sure this has been posted already, but $60 is horseshit. There's no movie good enough to warrant that price. Also, why would you include a 1080p BD in the set? People who buy the UHD release aren't gonna use it.

If Criterion ever found all the lost bits of Freaks (extremely unlikely) I would easily pay 60+. There are films worthy of that price (Good Bad and the ugly , still waiting on better than kino’s, the exorcist, alien etc). It’s okay that you don’t think there is but a msrp of 60 is in line with other boutique uhd’s.

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I think Criterion is going to have to start increasing the number of titles they release, especially in UHD. If they don't, sales are going to suffer. Significantly. Why? Because people will choose not to buy and wait for the inevitable UHD release. It's common sense really.

Ah, the suffering. The sweet, sweet suffering...