Barnes & Noble marks down Criterion Collection releases by 50%, sale runs through Sunday, July 26

Barnes & Noble is running a summer promotion on Criterion Collection home video titles, marking down “every available” Criterion release by 50% off list prices across DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD formats. The deal is listed as available online and set to expire on Sunday, July 26.

Billboard reports that Barnes & Noble’s Criterion sale covers a broad mix of film categories, including concert films, music documentaries, and musicals. The publication says the retailer is discounting the Criterion catalog in ways intended to expand viewers’ physical media collections during the summer retail period.

Among the music- and performance-focused titles cited in the promotion are This Is Spinal Tap, David Byrne’s American Utopia, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, and the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream. The promotion also points to music and stage adaptations and cultural staples such as The Wiz, as well as other Criterion releases outside the music niche, according to the retailer’s featured selection.

Billboard says Barnes & Noble is listing prices starting at $7.49, down from $14.99, as part of the 50% markdown. The retailer’s promotion is presented as a time-limited offer for customers building out disc libraries during a period that the article frames as “summer movie season,” though the sale itself is tied to home video products rather than theatrical releases.

The Criterion Collection is described in the promotion as a home video distributor known for “important classic and contemporary films,” and the article says the sale includes prestige titles beyond the music category. It also notes that Criterion titles are sold through Barnes & Noble and that the retailer is marking down products available in its online inventory for the duration of the sale period.

For consumers, the main practical detail is the expiration date, as Barnes & Noble’s promotion is explicitly time-bound. For the media retail channel, the sale reflects ongoing demand for physical discs across high-end catalog labels, including demand for specialty genres like concert films and music documentaries that may appeal to families and music fans assembling shared viewing libraries at home.

Billboard’s report also notes retail-link disclosures commonly used by media outlets in connection with online shopping, indicating the publication may receive a commission on purchases placed through its retail links. Customers who follow the retailer directly are still expected to verify the applicable discount and available formats at checkout before purchase, particularly for titles with multiple disc types (DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD).