1333 KPop Demon Hunters

[cdnchris]

I assume Criterion will manage to get this into mainstream shops like Walmart and Target too in time for it to be a default Christmas gift/stocking stuffer, can’t think of the last time that was a possibility. I bought my slip covered Criterion DVD copy of Royal Tenenbaums from a grocery store display, the DVD boom era was wild

Safeway sold The Irishman on Blu-ray, which always struck me as wild. For $19.99, too.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Unfortunately Costco stopped carrying discs awhile ago (they also no longer sell players). Other big-box chains still stock some, albeit in much reduced numbers and with a focus on box sets (like complete TV series) that I guess have a longer shelf life. I hope Criterion manages to get this into some major retailers, though Target no longer sells Criterion releases even on their website.

I remember picking up the Royal Tenenbaums DVD at Walmart with my employee discount, but that was an odd situation because it was released through Buena Vista themselves and was the only DVD edition in the U.S. (meaning there was no "standard" edition that retailers could stock instead—I think even rental stores carried the Criterion version). For The Life Aquatic, there was another edition that dropped the second disc but still had the Criterion branding.

[ryannichols7]

I think a pretty forgotten angle with Criterion releasing this is one I noted above, their most faithful and longtime partner...Barnes and Noble. K-Pop collectors already were helping to keep non-book/game physical media alive at B&N and bolster them to bring back media departments they had long scrapped from many of their stores, as well as of course, the Criterion sale that every B&N employee knows is a big thing to help their paychecks coming in (mind you, B&N are doing very well financially these days and are opening new stores regularly). K-Pop Demon Hunters is going to be a major crossover for those K-Pop collectors to start looking at the other thing that takes up most of the physical media section of B&N locations. maybe it'll help those collectors find other things that may look interesting to them and go from there - I know for a fact this has helped Arrow, Indicator, and Radiance's US sales. being put next to Criterion in these stores has helped people see that other labels are doing this too and may appeal to them. maybe if K-Pop collectors say "hey maybe I should try out movies" they may be more incentivized to move into another hobby that's very, very pro physical media. it may be easier for them to throw the film on Netflix, but they do love having the tangible product and all that comes with it too.

I am thankful at least that Criterion didn't opt for three different versions of this with different photocards, sticker sheets, etc that have bolstered K-Pop physical releases (especially at Target), but if they dared to go that route I'm sure they'd be super successful. I do however forsee Criterion doing more of the postcard/art card type stuff that Arrow, Radiance, and many of the other labels already do, helping the package be even more worth it. I thought we were gonna get more of this after The Girl Can't Help It and Flight of the Phoenix both offered cool physical extras but it's been relatively quiet on that front aside from Flow and now this.

[colinr0380]

I thought we were gonna get more of this after The Girl Can't Help It and Flight of the Phoenix both offered cool physical extras but it's been relatively quiet on that front aside from Flow and now this.

I still miss that brief period in the mid 2000s when Criterion were repackaging actual novels with their releases. Its the reason why I still have the DVD editions of Vampyr, Short Cuts and The Man Who Fell To Earth on my shelves next to the Blu-ray copies of the same.

[DimitriL]

I still miss that brief period in the mid 2000s when Criterion were repackaging actual novels with their releases. Its the reason why I still have the DVD editions of Vampyr, Short Cuts and The Man Who Fell To Earth on my shelves next to the Blu-ray copies of the same.

Yeah, they had picked that back up again when the economics of combo packs made it feasible to do that with, like, Red River as an example. I actually asked recently if they had any plans to do that again, and they said while they liked doing it a lot, it was unlikely for a lot of factors.

[Michael Kerpan]

Alas, based on the trailer, this does not look like the sort of thing I would ever pay to see (or even watch for free).

[Kracker]

Oscar for Best Animated Feature? Psshhhh. We all know you're nobody until you get a shameless cash grab lawsuit.

[Zot!]

Alas, based on the trailer, this does not look like the sort of thing I would ever pay to see (or even watch for free).

I am envious of you needing to watch a trailer to sample this, as the merchandising is now in literally every nook and cranny of every store in the western world and every child under the age of 20 (and their parents) knows all the songs. I think in this case your initial impressions are absolutely fine to trust. There are no hidden depths to plumb here, it is a adept populist mash-up of K-Pop music and fashions with Korean-folklore anime demon hunting. It is this decade's Frozen.

They must be doing something right, but I think it is fair to say this is a high-profile way to introduce mainstream viewers (and K-Pop collectors) to Criterion, rather than the other way around. And probably that is totally ok. It was already mentioned but the amount of deluxe packaging related to even the most run-of-the-mill K-Pop album release is bonkers, so in some ways it is something of a tip of the hat to Criterion, who are one of the originators of packaging and context informing their releases.

[reaky]

This must be the first Criterion to have Funko Pops of the characters on supermarket shelves. Unless I missed an Antoine Doinel one.

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

This must be the first Criterion to have Funko Pops of the characters on supermarket shelves. Unless I missed an Antoine Doinel one.

Wall•E, Taxi Driver (laserdisc era), A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Life Aquatic, Grand Budapest Hotel, Frankenstein, Shape of Water, Pinocchio, Pans Labyrinth, Modern Times, Hitchcock, John Waters, Spike Lee, and there’s one of Marilyn Monroe.

[James Stock]

This must be the first Criterion to have Funko Pops of the characters on supermarket shelves. Unless I missed an Antoine Doinel one.

Wall•E, Taxi Driver (laserdisc era), A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Life Aquatic, Grand Budapest Hotel, Frankenstein, Shape of Water, Pinocchio, Pans Labyrinth, Modern Times, Hitchcock, John Waters, Spike Lee, and there’s one of Marilyn Monroe.

Silence of the Lambs and technically Twin Peaks as well.

[Zot!]

Funko Pop is not a good indicator, because as shown, they have one of those things for every last thing. However the Demon Hunters have their own Ramen.

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

This must be the first Criterion to have Funko Pops of the characters on supermarket shelves. Unless I missed an Antoine Doinel one.

Wall•E, Taxi Driver (laserdisc era), A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Life Aquatic, Grand Budapest Hotel, Frankenstein, Shape of Water, Pinocchio, Pans Labyrinth, Modern Times, Hitchcock, John Waters, Spike Lee, and there’s one of Marilyn Monroe.

Silence of the Lambs and technically Twin Peaks as well.

Forgot about Twin Peaks. Even bought one of them when I worked at FYE.