Criterion ‘committed’ to UK but taking ‘extended summer break’

I wrote up some speculation last month that Criterion may be pulling out of the UK (Region B) market.

Nothing was official but there were some rather worrying signs and there has been a lull in new release announcements (it’s now been two months).

I approached Criterion for comment and they’ve finally got back to me and it’s good news.

In an email Jon Mulvaney has apologised for the lateness of the response and said:

“We are committed to keeping Criterion in the UK and are taking an extended summer break while we change distributors.

“Stay tuned for new title announcements for the Fall and thanks for your support!”

So there you have it, a distributor change is to blame.

Criterion will no longer be put out by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

What this means for the pricepoint (currently the standard release RRP is £23) and the release schedule, remains to be seen. Watch this space for updates in the Fall (that would be autumn to you and me).