Social Media and The Criterion Collection

 I am someone who has a keen interest in the arts, particularly in the field of motion pictures. In the house I live in, there is a collection of hundreds of pictures and movies on DVD/Blu-Ray/4K UHD. Upwards of 80 of these titles over the years is published by the Criterion Collection, a physical media and streaming service firm owned by Janus Films (and in turn owned by Steven Rales and his film financing company Indian Paintbrush) that started in the days of Laserdisc in 1984. The purpose is to finance the restoration of older and select newer films to pristine conditions, often with an emphasis on singular titles from well-established filmmakers and present these restorations to the public by either a Blu-Ray/4K release or on the Criterion Channel, which is their streaming service. A physical media release usually includes supporting material in both visual and written formats going into many details about the movie. 

There has been a continued presence from Criterion/Janus on social media over the past 27 years since the release of their first DVD title, the Jean Renoir anti-war classic Grand Illusion (1936). Since then, the primary collection has accumulated in what will be by the end of the year 1294 titles. Usually, 6 or so titles are announced mid-month of every month. With that said, since Steven Rales bought Janus Films and The Criterion Collection in 2024, the social media presence has expanded. This may be due to Rales' film status as a financial partner in most films by Wes Anderson (and indeed a box set of Anderson's first 10 movies is forthcoming). This has also led to perhaps the most significant social media presence the Criterion Collection has. On their YouTube page, and on Facebook and in excerpts from their Twitter feed, they have a subsection named the Criterion Closet.

How it works is a notable person arrives at the offices of Criterion/Janus in New York City, which is on the third floor of a somewhat nondescription office complex. There could be a number of reasons to be there, and this post has little time to mention them all. As part of their tour of the office, there is a hall closet which has every physical media copy of films the Criterion Collection has issued. This does include laserdiscs, although sparingly. The noted celebrities are given a tote bag and a camera to tour the closet and take whatever movie they want from there and will engage with the viewer (or themselves if it is more than one person) to discuss their picks and why they are pleased with their selection. This marketing experience started in 2010 when the filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro filmed himself taking some DVDs and Blu-Rays from the office and now amounts to at least 2 new videos a week since Rales' purchase of the company. 

The content strategy of these visits to the Criterion Closet, I would think, have multiple reasons. Foremost is to entice film enthusiasts to purchase any of the titles discussed, or perhaps even subscribe to their streaming services (which I have done since the launch in 2019). Additionally, this might be a way to promote something new that the celebrities are doing, either with something new coming out or their participation in a new restoration by Criterion/Janus. Concurrently, in view of the changes in home viewing habits wherein more people are willing to find a movie to watch over a streaming service at any point, the marketing approach is primarily to make known the benefits and plusses of owning a copy of a movie that is ones to own for however long they would like. As it is, the Criterion Closet marketing strategy on YouTube and Facebook is more catered to a specific niche environment and is not intended to be all things to all people. 

Let me know in the comments below if there are other likeminded social media advertising campaigns that are unique and perhaps more fitting for a particular subset of people. Perhaps there could be better examples. I am all ears.

Thank you and more to come,

Robert Kelly

PS: Here is a recent example of the Criterion Closet.