Arrow Films

History

Arrow Films was established in 1991 as a family firm in Shenley, Hertfordshire. Whilst Arrow Films was the company's primary brand for theatrical releases, the Arrow Video label was created in 2009 specialising in cult and horror home video. In September 2011, the ArrowDrome brand was created for budget DVDs. The Arrow Academy and Arrow TV labels specialised in the world cinema and Nordic noir genres respectively, but since 2021, each has been merged into Arrow Video. In the same year, the company launched Arrow Player, a subscription video on-demand service in the UK, US and Canada.

Arrow began releasing films in the North American market in 2015. As of 2022, it operated in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada.

In 2021, Arrow Films was sold to THG plc for £18.5 million. In January 2025, THG plc demerged its technology and logistics arm, THG Ingenuity, into a privately owned, stand-alone business.

In 2025, Arrow Video signed a deal with Warner Bros. in which Arrow would distribute several films by WB subsidiary New Line Cinema on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Reception

Arrow has been listed by The Guardian twice as their home video distributor of the year. In 2011, they listed Arrow as the Label of the Year noting their release of Bicycle Thieves, Rififi and Les Diaboliques and specifically praising their releases of horror films, where they "truly excel". The second time was in 2013 when they awarded Arrow Films "Label of the Year", noting their releases of Lifeforce and releases of television shows such as Borgen and The Killing as highlights.

Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection was voted the best home video release of 2014 by several publications, including Sight and Sound and Little White Lies, and won the Focal International Award for Best Archival Restoration Project and the Cinema Ritrovato Award for Best DVD Series/Best Box.

References

References

1. Travis, Ben. (2 April 2021). "Arrow Video Launches Cult Movie Streaming Service".
2. "001 - The Bird With The Crystal Plumage".
3. Kozak, Oktay Ege. (5 December 2017). "The Best Boutique Blu-ray Distributors (Who Aren't Criterion)".
4. Jarvis, Henry. (12 August 2022). "10 Best Boutique Blu-Ray Brands".
5. Wiseman, Andreas. (2018-06-19). "UK Distributor Arrow Films Streamlines Operations With The Departure Of Two Key Executives".
6. "Brands - Arrow Films".
7. "Arrow Video Beckons You To The Arrowdrome". Twitch.
8. (17 May 2018). "James White of Arrow Films on the restoration and rescue of classic and cult cinema".
9. Clark, Ashley. (11 March 2016). "Can the celebrated Criterion Collection make a splash in the UK?". [[The Guardian]].
10. "About Us - Arrow Films".
11. (9 May 2022). "THG Annual Report 2021". THG plc.
12. . (2 January 2025). ["Demerger of THG Ingenuity confirmed after vote"](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/demerger-of-thg-ingenuity-confirmed-after-vote/). *BusinessCloud*.
13. O'Neill, Phelim. (17 December 2011). "The Best DVD & Blu-ray releases of 2011". [[The Guardian]].
14. O'Neill, Phelim. (21 December 2013). "2013 DVD & Blu-ray round-up". [[The Guardian]].
15. (25 February 2015). "The best DVDs and Blu-rays of 2014". [[Sight and Sound]].
16. Jenkins, David. (17 December 2014). "The 25 Best DVD & Blu-ray Releases Of 2014". [[Little White Lies (magazine).
17. "Focal International Awards 2015".
18. "DVD Awards 2015 - XII Edition: The Winners". [[Il Cinema Ritrovato]].