Just a few days after virtually all of Hollywood’s top filmmakers banded together in a bid to save FilmStruck, it seems that The Criterion Collection was already deep into cooking up a plan of their own. While we got a recent update that a new iteration of FilmStruck will be part of WarnerMedia’s new bundle of streaming services launching in late 2019, Criterion will get the jump far sooner as they’ve announced The Criterion Channel will launch this spring as a standalone streaming service. As a bonus, their library will also be an option as part of whatever WarnerMedia decides to launch late next year.
“Today’s announcement ensures that fans will have access to these films from the Criterion Collection as well as films from WarnerMedia’s deep and extensive library in what will be a rich and curated experience, which will further expand the audience footprint for these classic and acclaimed movies,” Criterion said in a statement. They added:
The Criterion Channel will be picking up where FilmStruck left off, with thematic programming, regular filmmaker spotlights, and actor retrospectives, featuring major classics and hard-to-find discoveries from Hollywood and around the world, complete with special features like commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage and original documentaries. The Criterion Channel will continue to produce their guest programmer series, Adventures in Moviegoing, which has already featured such cinephile luminaries as Barry Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, Bill Hader, and Mira Nair. Criterion‘s monthly 15-minute film school, Observations on Film Art, Tuesday’s Short + Feature, and the Friday double-bill will all be back as well.
After reading that, we imagine you are already in, so go ahead and sign up now as a Charter Subscriber. By showing your initial interest, you’ll get the reduced rate of $89.99 a year vs. the standard $100, as well as a 30-day trial to test the service when it launches, a holiday gift-certificate present for Criterion, and more.
Check out Criterion’s trailer below announcing their return to the world of streaming.