The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival saw the launch of Cinema Cellar, the independent home-video retailer’s first brick-and-mortar store in Toronto’s Entertainment District. For the duration of the fest, Criterion is taking over the venue, with wall-to-wall displays of their releases in-store, reminiscent of their famous Criterion Closet.
“We want this to be a community,” said Ian Goggins, Cinema Cellar’s Executive Vice President “And we’ve seen that over the last few days. At any given point we’ve had twenty-five to thirty people in the store, we have a line outside, and the people in the store, complete strangers, are talking to each other, recommending films, sharing information and knowledge, and having a laugh. That’s sort of why we built this.”
The Criterion Collection is an American home-video distribution company whose mission is publishing special editions of notable classic and contemporary films from around the world in the highest technical quality. From state-of-the-art restorations, to never-before-seen special features, Criterion vows to present the films in their collection as the filmmakers themselves would truly want them seen.
Photo by The Knockturnal.
“We’re hoping to also make this a space that can be utilized for things like Q&A’s and signings, press days, things like that.” Goggins continued, “We want to make this a destination for people who have been collecting for years, but also for people who are just getting into it.”
Movie lovers who visit the store during the fest will be given the opportunity to curate their own Criterion Closet picks, with all discs being 30% off. The store also offers Criterion merchandise such as tee shirts and hats, and a special first look at Criterion’s forthcoming box set The Complete Kubrick, ahead of its October 20 release.
Photo by The Knockturnal.
Beyond TIFF, Criterion will maintain a permanent section in the Cinema Cellar store, alongside roughly 16,000 other titles from labels such as Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow Video, and from Canadian labels specifically like Photon Films and Elevation Pictures.
“All of my business partners, we grew up in the video store era…We always sort of thought that that’s been missing…that sort of in-person sharing of the love of film.” Goggins went on to say.
Cinema Cellar is located at 129 John Street. Criterion’s take over will remain through September 20.
