I was two minutes into a late-night scroll when a Variety alert cut through the quiet: Criterion had picked two Netflix titles for physical release. My hand tightened around the phone because physical editions change how a film breathes outside a timeline of algorithms. You feel the possibility — and the small panic that you might miss the first pressing.
I write this as someone who collects discs and reads credits like confessions. You’ll find the facts here, plus the instincts you need to judge what these releases mean for fans, awards chatter, and the market for tangible cinema.
Last night a Variety headline landed: Criterion is bringing Frankenstein and KPop Demon Hunters to disc.
Variety first reported the news, and Criterion told io9 there’s “nothing else to share at this time.” That terse response is typical: Criterion moves slowly, methodically, and with an eye toward archival care. You already know Criterion has shepherded Netflix films before — Roma, The Irishman, The Power of the Dog, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio — so this fits an existing pattern of streaming-to-shelf migration.
Here’s what that pattern means for you: a film’s life gets additional chapters when it earns a disc, from restoration notes to audio commentaries to essays that reshape the way critics and audiences read the work.
Will Criterion release Netflix films?
Short answer: yes, sometimes. The Criterion Collection has a proven relationship with Netflix on high-profile titles, and the selection process favors films that benefit from serious curation — auteur-driven work, technically ambitious productions, and titles that have cultural conversations around them. Guillermo del Toro’s immediate affinity for physical media makes Frankenstein a logical pick; the studio’s history with big-name directors makes KPop Demon Hunters less surprising than it might appear.
I watched a collector unwrap a Criterion disc and treat it like a small artifact.
Collectors don’t buy discs for convenience; they buy them for encounter. When del Toro has teased a Frankenstein release on X (formerly Twitter) and appeared in Criterion’s Closet on YouTube, he created expectations. You should expect careful curation: production notes, visual essays, commentary tracks, and restorations overseen by filmmakers when possible.
Del Toro’s projects tend to come with generous supplementary material because he documents his process obsessively. A Criterion Frankenstein could contain director commentaries, design galleries, and archival interviews — everything that treats the film’s making as part of its art. The disc will likely read more like a curated dossier than a simple disc in a case, and that is the selling point.
When will Frankenstein be released on Criterion?
Criterion has announced releases through May, and a spokesperson’s silence about dates suggests these two titles won’t hit shelves immediately. If Criterion moves them into its schedule this year, expect a summer or fall window rather than a spring drop. That gives time for proper mastering and bonus feature assembly — the kind of patient work Criterion is known for.
At a theater screening I saw KPop Demon Hunters swell from cult curiosity to mainstream momentum.
KPop Demon Hunters is a different animal: a global-genre success born on Netflix with awards-season whispers and franchise speculation attached. That trajectory makes the potential Criterion release fascinating because the film’s cultural story is still unfolding. Criterion editions become historical documents; if the filmmakers kept extensive behind-the-scenes footage and commentary, the disc could become an archival hinge for how the film is remembered.
Think about what that means for features: how much did the production document choreography rehearsals, effects tests, and music production? If teams recorded the creative process, Criterion will have rich material to shape a narrative about the film’s rise — a narrative that could influence awards voters, franchise decisions, and academic readings.
What special features might the KPop Demon Hunters Criterion edition include?
My bet: long-form making-of documentaries, isolated score tracks, cast interviews focused on performance and choreography, and technical essays about visual effects and production design. Criterion loves essays and interviews that place a film within cinematic history; for a Netflix tentpole with K-pop at its core, that historical framing will be where the release proves its worth.
There’s another angle you shouldn’t ignore: publicity. A Criterion release becomes a talking point for critics, collectors, and retail lists. Variety broke the initial story, io9 followed up, and del Toro’s social media teasing adds fuel. That mix of authority voices and celebrity endorsement accelerates demand. You and I both know that when several respected outlets and creators start pointing at a disc, the market responds.
The collector’s thrill is simple and specific: a physical edition freezes a film outside the streaming calendar and places it on a shelf where it can be revisited, argued about, and studied. A Criterion transfer is not just a new format; it’s a new conversation starter — like a relic pulled from a pirate chest that rewrites the story you tell about a movie, and like a well-thumbed ledger that keeps the credits honest.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
No release dates have been announced yet, but if Criterion follows its usual pacing you probably won’t see these discs before summer. Will you preorder the Frankenstein edition for del Toro’s annotations, or hold out for a potentially exhaustive KPop Demon Hunters package that could reshape the film’s legacy?