The Criterion Channel

by The Criterion Collection
4.2 out of 5 stars3,105 customer ratings
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Price: Free Download
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Sold by:Amazon.com Services, Inc
Offers in-app purchases
Works with: Game Controllers,Fire TV Voice Remote
Languages Supported: English

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Latest updates

What's new in version 8.703.1
  • * Bug fixes
  • * Performance improvements

Product Details

Release Date: 2019
Date first listed on Amazon: April 8, 2019
Developed By: The Criterion Collection
ASIN: B07PPB3PTV
Customer reviews:
4.2 out of 5 stars3,105 customer ratings

Product features

  • Beautiful HD streaming
  • Pick up where you left off with the Continue Watching feature
  • For existing subscribers, you can simply sign in to your account to get access. No need to resubscribe.

Product description

A movie lover’s dream, The Criterion Channel offers classics and discoveries from around the world, thematically programmed with special features, on a streaming service brought to you by The Criterion Collection.

With constantly refreshed selections of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies, plus access to Criterion’s entire streaming library of more than 1,000 important classic and contemporary films, there’s something new to choose from every day of the week on The Criterion Channel. Start with Sunday Spotlights on directors, stars, genres, and themes; Tuesday’s Short + Feature; or the Friday double bill. Try out our 15-minute-a-month film school, Observations on Film Art, or choose from suggestions by friends like Barry Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, or Mira Nair. Go deep with the Criterion Collection’s archive of special features for context that no other service can match.

FEATURES

- The Criterion Collection’s streaming library, including many complete editions released on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as unreleased titles
- Ongoing programs of Hollywood, international, art-house, independent, documentary, and short films, including thematic programming, director and star retrospectives, and guest-curated series
- Original Criterion Channel series such as Observations on Film Art, Adventures in Moviegoing, and Art-House America
- Supplemental features to deepen your appreciation of the art of film, including audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, scholarly analyses, introductions, new and archival interviews, and trailers


To access all features and content you can subscribe to The Criterion Channel on a monthly or yearly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle.

* All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Any unused portion of your free trial will be forfeited upon payment. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal.

Terms of Service: http://www.criterionchannel.com/tos
Privacy Policy: http://www.criterionchannel.com/privacy

User Data Privacy

This information provided by the developer helps you understand the data this app collects from you and/or transfers to third parties.
To learn more, visit the developer’s privacy policy.
Learn what data is collected by this app and for what purpose:
User Info:
Name: Developer communications, Developer Advertising or Marketing, Third-party Advertising or Marketing
Email Address: App functionality, Developer communications, Developer Advertising or Marketing, Fraud Prevention, Security and Compliance
User IDs: App functionality, Analytics, Personalization, Fraud Prevention, Security and Compliance
App info & performance:
Crash logs: Analytics
Diagnostics: Analytics
Other app performance data: Analytics
Financial Info:
Purchase history: App functionality, Developer Advertising or Marketing
App activity:
App interactions: Analytics, Developer Advertising or Marketing
In-app search history: App functionality, Analytics
Other user-generated content: App functionality
Device or other IDs:
Device or other ID: App functionality, Analytics, Personalization
Advertising ID: Third-party Advertising or Marketing
Learn what data is transferred to third party by this app and for what purpose:
Device or other IDs:
Advertising ID: Third-party Advertising or Marketing

Technical details

Size: 47.4MB
Version: 8.703.1
Developed By: The Criterion Collection ( Privacy Policy )
Application Permissions: ( Help me understand what permissions mean )
  • Access information about networks
  • Connect to paired bluetooth devices
  • Required to be able to access the camera device
  • Send information about completed downloads
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC
  • Open network sockets
  • POST_NOTIFICATIONS
  • READ_MEDIA_AUDIO
  • READ_MEDIA_IMAGES
  • READ_MEDIA_VIDEO
  • Get notified that the operating system has finished booting
  • Record audio
  • Change the Z-order of tasks
  • PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming
  • Allows sending in-app billing requests and managing in-app billing transactions
  • Allows an application to receive messages via Google Cloud Messaging
  • Receive message via Amazon Device
  • com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID
Minimum Operating System: Android 5.0
Approximate Download Time: More than 5 minutes

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
3,105 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the content, quality and selection of the mobile application. They mention that it has great movies and documentaries that accompany the films. They appreciate the value, resolution, and channel. However, some customers report issues with performance and ease of use.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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ContentQualitySelectionValueResolutionChannelEase of usePerformance
75 customers mention "Content"62 positive13 negative

Customers like the content of the mobile application. They say it has great movies and documentaries that accompany the films. They also say the site is nicely curated and has wonderful compilations of films from specific eras and directors.

"...This great film is mostly forgotten and it usually is not even mentioned in sketches of Sevigny’s body of work but it is among her finest..." Read more

"...is superior, sound is crisp and clear, and it is just a special viewing pleasure...." Read more

"...but its missing many many hard hitting, thought provoking, tear jerking, passionate and inspiring films that I thought it would have on launch...." Read more

"...She has a stack of books that look worn and well loved. TItles like Kurosawa, Fellini, Lynch, Columbia Noir, 70s Sci-fi...." Read more

54 customers mention "Quality"47 positive7 negative

Customers like the quality of the mobile application. They mention it has an excellent collection of movies, a treasure of great films, and classic films of the world. They also say it's a must for fans of classic movies, with a vast collection of older films not otherwise available.

"...Over 1600 films were listed in my last search, and they are all high quality classics, independent, foreign, or contemporary films...." Read more

"...In short it is a bible of classic films no matter what your likes. There is even a huge film noir section which I personally love!..." Read more

"...And the streaming seems reliable and very solid. One more nitpick, go all the way to the bottom of the lines and you'll see Coming Soon theme...." Read more

"...(needed it anyway) and it works fine; great video, audio, and movie selection...." Read more

23 customers mention "Selection"21 positive2 negative

Customers find the selection of the mobile application good, wide-ranging, and wonderful. They say it's great for discovering many types of films, with decent subcategories. They also mention that the channel offers a wide variety of movies from the very artsy to the very gritty. Customers also say that the selection is seemingly endless, with hard-to-find and cinematic classics.

"UPDATE: JULY 4TH 2019, the service is better with a better selection and streaming quality, however the lack of having subtitles turned on or off in..." Read more

"...They seem to rotate their content. Plenty to choose from. The UI is simplistic but usable. Quality is as good as I get on Netflix...." Read more

"...Selection is, as expected, wonderful and not limited to only Criterion editions...." Read more

"Love the movies. Great selection of foreign and classic flicks. No complaints. The app, however, needs improvement...." Read more

18 customers mention "Value"14 positive4 negative

Customers like the value of the mobile application. They say the Noir titles are worth the price of admission, and the service is worth every penny. Customers also say the membership is definitely worth it.

"...Bi Gan's Kaili Blues is worth the price of the subscription all on its own in my opinion...." Read more

"...The price is very reasonable - I bought a year. I get regular emails with highlights of what is new...." Read more

"...Channel for a few months now, and it has definitely been worth the money...." Read more

"...I don't see a long life for this channel either. very disappointing for the money they charge." Read more

15 customers mention "Resolution"15 positive0 negative

Customers like the resolution of the mobile application. They say the picture quality is good, and the resolution is superb. Some customers also mention that the streaming quality is better than other streaming services. Overall, most are satisfied with the quality of the films and the app.

"...It loads quickly, picture quality is superior, sound is crisp and clear, and it is just a special viewing pleasure...." Read more

"...JULY 4TH 2019, the service is better with a better selection and streaming quality, however the lack of having subtitles turned on or off in foreign..." Read more

"...I just watched "Persona" and I am thrilled because these types of high quality films are not available on Amazon, Netflix and Hulu." Read more

"...started up Time Bandits, and I am very happy to say the picture quality is as good now as it was on Filmstruck...." Read more

12 customers mention "Channel"9 positive3 negative

Customers like the channel. They say it's the best channel out there for old movies, international and independent films. They also say the film selection on The Criterion Channel is incredible. Customers also like that they can watch an old movie on-demand.

"Great channel for foreign movies. I actually spent too much time watching movies and NOT doing housework LOL" Read more

"...Then download the app to your smart tv or firestick. Best channel out there for old movies, foreign films, independent and cult classics...." Read more

"...start, but I was disappointed to see that the channel doesn't include everything in their catalog...." Read more

"...I like that I can watch an old movie on-demand, I get to choose which one...." Read more

35 customers mention "Ease of use"14 positive21 negative

Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the mobile application. Some mention that it has a great interface and selection of films, the UI is simplistic but usable, and easy to navigate. However, others say that the interface is not good, the search function is very hard to navigate, and the interface seems a bit cluttered.

"...First, I didn't think it was possible to have a worse GUI interface than that offered by Filmstruck, but Criterion has managed to do it...." Read more

"...Plenty to choose from. The UI is simplistic but usable. Quality is as good as I get on Netflix. Movies spool up fast...." Read more

"...The interface seems a bit cluttered--all the basic operations of searching, browsing, managing watchlists and previous viewed, etc, I think were..." Read more

"...the format by actor or director is useful and easy to select." Read more

44 customers mention "Performance"11 positive33 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the performance of the mobile application. They mention that it doesn't work with their Android phone, older model of Amazon Fire stick, and older Fire TV devices. The service doesn' t work over early versions of Amazon TV, and the websites they give aren't working. Some customers also report that the channel doesn''t play on their desktop.

"...story short, after 2 hours wasted trying to figure out why the content wasn't playing I gave up and am cancelling my subscription. So be forewarned...." Read more

"...The Channel doesn't work on my desktop (something about a separate monitor) so I would think you might need a laptop, if it even works there...." Read more

"I don't know if I am just lucky but it works fine on my Firestick. Absolutely no issues. Not every Criterion movie is available...." Read more

"...And on my Fire TV, it crashes periodically.Although the app is annoying, the movies make up for the app's quirks." Read more

The best possible collection of Art House and Indie films.
5 out of 5 stars
The best possible collection of Art House and Indie films.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jeffrey J. Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars Criterion Owns the Best Library of World’s Greatest Films
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
Most of the world’s greatest films are in this collection. All or almost all of Ingmar Bergman and Jean Renoir’s masterworks are here and most of Hitchcock. I watched two delightful hidden gems on the Criterion Channel during the holidays. One was Hitchcock’s swan song (last film) “Family Plot.” Even the least appreciated Hitchcock films are often better than what anyone else does. It has the greatest one car chase scene in the history of film. The other was “the Last Days of Disco” written and directed by Whit Stillman starring the two coolest girls in the world—Chloe Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale. This great film is mostly forgotten and it usually is not even mentioned in sketches of Sevigny’s body of work but it is among her finest performances. I watched the movie and followed up by watching the full length commentary with comments from the director and Ms. Sevigny and actor Chris Eigeman. Lovers of the great films have only one place to go—the Criterion Channel.
4 people found this helpful
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ThorBiddlesworth
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Collection of Films
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
I loved Filmstruck, was sad when it got shut down, but am happy again now that Criterion Channel is here. I stream a lot of movies on Prime and Netflix, and while they have a great selection, they also overlap a lot. Criterion gives you access to a bunch of brilliant films that you will have a really hard time finding elsewhere. Over 1600 films were listed in my last search, and they are all high quality classics, independent, foreign, or contemporary films. I currently have over 40 on my watchlist. Bi Gan's Kaili Blues is worth the price of the subscription all on its own in my opinion.

The app has had fewer hiccups for me than Filmstruck did. There have been a few micro-stutters when playing content, but it only happened a couple of times. I take this as a really good sign because when Filmstruck got started it had a bunch of issues to work out in its first couple of months. The PQ also appears better. I am using a new fire TV 4k stick on an LG tv, and the app also works on my new Sony TV.

I can't recommend Criterion Channel enough to anyone who likes movies that make you think. You get a free trial, so why not??
5 people found this helpful
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Keith Wagner
5.0 out of 5 stars If You Like Classic Cinema, You Need Criterion!
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
In short, the Criterion Channel has most everything that FilmStruck had. I was so upset when Warners pulled the plug on FilmStruck and was overjoyed when Criterion decided to go it on their own. The price is very reasonable - I bought a year. I get regular emails with highlights of what is new. Most films come with in depth analysis and extras. In short it is a bible of classic films no matter what your likes. There is even a huge film noir section which I personally love! It loads quickly, picture quality is superior, sound is crisp and clear, and it is just a special viewing pleasure. I highly recommend it if only to help preserve the history of great cinema for everyone to enjoy.
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Charles J. Vinicombe
1.0 out of 5 stars App unworkable
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
Very disappointed. I have app on Samsung tv. When load move it stutters and delays. On iPad I have access to library. On tv app it does not show my library saved movies. Don’t know why tv app would be so bad compared to iPad app which is flawless.
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Robert
4.0 out of 5 stars getting better; good but not perfect yet.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
UPDATE: JULY 4TH 2019, the service is better with a better selection and streaming quality, however the lack of having subtitles turned on or off in foreign films is a little annoying, as you cannot turn on subtitles 4K part 1 during Parts where they don't actually put subtitles when he's monologuing, and he's talking in Che Guevara is native tongue. Additionally it would be nice to have subtitles for English language films because I don't want to wake everyone up in my house or there's a lot of noise going on outside. Other than that the service has improved greatly since launch.

as of the writing of this review on 5/9/2019, there are many films that are missing from the collection that i thought i would be able to watch such as the sacrifice, RAN and the man who fell to earth. Many other films that I was interested in are not at all available through the criterion channel.

streaming quality is iffy sometimes. it is a new application and service so it might be updated and patched eventually.

I LOVE the criterion collection, but theres not much to offer on this other than a portion of the great films of people like tarkovsky, kurosawa and many others. many of their films are missing and many of the films added every once and a while dont seem to be worth it to pay for this service. many of their selections seem politically motivated to seem trendy to get people to want to invest in the service. but i wish they focused more on good films and art rather than trends.

I want to love this service, and there's many things that it does right. but for everything they do right, there is something that they do wrong or that is slightly off. I love how there are double features and commentaries and special features. but most of the films i was looking forward to that were not available. I subscribed to this service to get access to those films that i couldn't afford today... and I'm a little bit disappointed. they need 100% of the films that are available to purchase on this service and much of what they offer that I would watch either I own, or am barely interested. While its nice to have a small handful of movies that are on my to watch list, none of them are high up on my list to watch them in the next foreseeable week.

I really really hope that new additions to this service help bring much needed life and selections to this. I want the Criterion channel to succeed and thrive.... but i dont feel its worth it yet. unless you have a bucket list of many many old films that you need to watch. criterion channel has them. but its missing many many hard hitting, thought provoking, tear jerking, passionate and inspiring films that I thought it would have on launch. While it has many films that match this criteria... its lacking much of what they offer for sale on disc. Criterion needs to get more films and film makers from both sides of the aisle of political and cinematic accomplishments. much of what I see that is modern seems to have a trendy political leaning that doesnt challenge the status quo, but conform to it and act like its brave and artful for making a point that society is already okay with. I am fine with anyone on any political side getting their films on here even if I dont agree with it, it just seems to be lacking in variety. this IS typical of the film industry and film awards industry as a whole, there is alot of gate keeping and political bias in art and in media in general so i cant fault them for going with the status quo, but id love to see more from them, id love to see more controversial films and controversial directors from left wing and right wing directors and film artists alike.

and i hope as the days go by that the criterion collection will add more and more films that they offer on disc as well as reaching out to smaller voices in the indie crowd as well as might right leaning directors and artists to appeal to a wider spectrum of film fanatics like myself. i want to see more that challenges us as a living being, i want to see more films that dont have a political message that falls on its face due to it being thoughtlessly trendy or gimicky on its topics.
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Top reviews from other countries

Miles
5.0 out of 5 stars It's the Criterion Channel, it's the Criterion Channel!
Reviewed in Canada on May 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
It is the Criterion Channel. Shouldn't have to say anymore than that. Great movies to stream for a low monthly fee.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty straightforward.
Reviewed in Canada on February 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Straightforward to download app, without issue.
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darthbaker
4.0 out of 5 stars Great content but app not perfect
Reviewed in Canada on October 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
The content is amazing, but the app itself still needs some tune-up. Such as sorting by director or even by running time in our watchlist could be great. Also the films in our Continue Watching list often stay in the list even if the movies have been watched fully, and there is no way of taking them off the list.
One person found this helpful
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LzaKzi
2.0 out of 5 stars Great movies, elitist pricing.
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
Fun for the free trial but if you pay this much a month for any streaming service than you’re a fool.

Great old movies (many of which are public domain / can be found for free elsewhere)

Waaaaaay to expensive. No way.
3 people found this helpful
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Shirin
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this channel for people who like artistic festival movies.
Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
I found my favorite movies made by masters and also intervies with them which I like a lot.
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