Criterion Collection Announces New Streaming Service to Replace Filmstruck
Classic movies are getting a new lease on streaming life.
With the end of the beloved streaming service FilmStruck looming, the Criterion Collection and WarnerMedia announced they are launching a free-standing streaming service called the Criterion Channel as a replacement. It will debut in spring 2019.
The Criterion's library of classic films will also be part of WarnerMedia's recently announced streaming platform, which will launch at the end of 2019.
Last month, WarnerMedia announced it was shutting down FilmStruck, which housed indie and prestige films from Criterion. Outrage from film buffs and Hollywood ensued. Top directors — including Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, and Christopher Nolan — penned an open letter to WarnerMedia to save the service.
Now, the Criterion Channel will pick 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.