Festival-goers pass the Criterion Closet mobile video library during its stop at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Sept. 7, 2025.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
Out of the closet, into the cellar.
Criterion is making a permanent home in downtown Toronto in collaboration with its Canadian distributor Cinema Cellar.
Criterion is a home entertainment company popular among cinephiles for its meticulously curated collection of films.
The shop will open during the Toronto International Film Festival next month.
The move comes after the Blu-ray maker brought a mobile version of its famous Criterion Closet to TIFF last year, inviting movie lovers to tour the space for three minutes at a time and pick from their collection of physical media.
Criterion offers a robust collection of classic and international films on Blu-ray and DVD, which are sold in Canada by Cinema Cellar, formerly known as Unobstructed View.
The company rebranded after being purchased by Blue Fox Entertainment last year.
Cinema Cellar’s brick-and-mortar location will be on John Street, not far from the TIFF Lightbox and Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, and the company says it will also feature films from other labels.