April 2024 media picks and news
Here’s a look at what media of interest is coming out for April 2024 (and beyond).
Graphic novels/manga
Moriarty the Patriot, vol. 15 (Viz), on sale April 2, $12
Teen Titans: Starfire GN (DC Comics), on sale July 2, $17
Disney+
A full list is available here.
Wish, April 3
Peacock
A full list is available here.
Migration, April 19
Sports
NBA Finals playoffs, starting April 20 (ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV)
NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, starting April 22 (various channels)
My thoughts
DC’s continuing its Teen Titans graphic novel series with a volume for Starfire. Good to see this series is continuing; the series is one of DC’s more successful graphic novels saleswise. Bonus points for DC not just relying on graphic novels published when Ronald Reagan was president/at least one generation ago at this point (Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, etc.).
Netflix has, of all things, a sequel to the 2017 live-action/CGI Woody Woodpecker movie. Presumably it’s being made mainly for viewers in Latin American (and specifically Brazil), where Woody’s still popular.
“Wish,” last fall’s Disney movie that ended up flopping at the box office, is finally coming to Disney+. The film earned $254.2 million worldwide on a budget of $175 to $200 million.
Speaking of animated films, the Illumination film “Migration” arrives on Peacock in April. It’s done much better at the box office than “Wish” did, thanks to a lack of movie theater competition and Illumination’s lower budgets: on a $72 million budget, “Migration” has earned $289 million to date.
Sports stuff
Basketball and hockey both see the NBA and NHL’s playoffs start this month. Given the current state of turmoil for regional cable sports coverage (bankruptcies, etc.), I’d imagine the regular season can’t end soon enough for the NBA and NHL.
That said, the plans of Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. to create a large sports-themed streaming service (with most of the major national sports broadcasters, including ESPN and TNT) might be the bigger concern for 2024. The pricing is still uncertain, along with the service’s name, though it’ll supposedly launch this fall in time for football season.