Just as awards season is getting going three of Amazon’s biggest contenders this year, Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, Regina King’s One Night in Miami, and Garrett Bradley’s Time are set to join Criterion’s prestigious collection of films. This is one of the first big batches of films to come from Amazon, Criterion previously added the 2018 polish drama Cold War from the streamer.
All three films have received high praise from critics and audiences. One Night in Miami and Time will see their releases later this year, and Sound of Metal will release in 2022. A film being released through Criterion means a physical release for movies that are otherwise only watchable by subscribing to the streaming service that releases them.
Recently the collection teamed up with Netflix to release Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, and Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. Giving streaming exclusives the Criterion treatment may not be the most expected move from the collection, but in an era when these films are winning awards and being watched by millions of streaming service subscribers, it makes sense that they’re being seen as closer to equal to theatrically released films.