Several classic blockbusters are coming to 4K for the first time, other beloved favourites are getting a steelbook makeover, and countless undiscovered gems are being dug out of the archives by some of the best distributors in the business.
There’s a lot to get through, so let’s dive into the most notable physical media launches in April 2024. As always, release dates are subject to change, so please keep an eye on our pre-order listings page for updates.
Monday, 1st April
The month begins with a trio of great launches – and that’s no April Fool. First up, Crunchyroll are bringing anime hit Suzume home, with two separate three-disc collections; a steelbook, and a Collector’s Edition with stunning artwork booklet, both of which feature hours of special features.
A month of James Cameron 4K remasters kicks off with Arnold Schwarzenegger going undercover in True Lies, and there’s a different breed of 90s action gem in the shape of Ronin, starring Robert de Niro and some of the tensest car chases ever put to film. The 4K mediabook is another excellent three-disc set.
Monday, 8th April
It’s a quieter week for rereleases kicking off on 8th April, but there are two titles worth seeking out to add to your collection.
Our friends at Arrow Video have restored an underseen Robert Altman effort, That Cold Day In The Park, in a two-disc limited edition set containing an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film, while Criterion are launching the dark 1941 fantasy All That Money Can Buy, an eerie cautionary tale that boasts an Oscar winning score from the legendary Bernard Hermann.
Monday, 15th April
Second Sight always knock it out of the park with their limited edition rereleases, and their set for British found-footage horror The Borderlands is typically stacked. Inside the rigid slipcase, you’ll find a 70 page book with new essays on the movie, six art cards, and of course the disc itself, which contains a ton of new special features.
Elsewhere, the BFI are bringing two more films by legendary Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu to Blu-ray. These two movies analyse school life from different perspectives; I Was Born, But follows two kids trying to outwit a school bully, and There Was A Father focuses on a teacher who quits the profession after an unfortunate accident.
As with all high-profile BFI rereleases, the first pressing of this title comes with a booklet featuring essays examining the legacy of both films.
Monday, 22nd April
Launching exclusively in the UK, the gloss steelbook of the original Kung-Fu Panda – releasing in 4K for the first time! – has arrived to coincide with the fourth film, which is currently in UK cinemas. The two disc set boasts glorious new artwork, and an extra disc stacked with special features.
Also coming to 4K is James Cameron’s Aliens, and trust us, the Xenomorph has never looked as terrifying as it does in ultra-high definition!
StudioCanal are reissuing two Ealing comedies in 4K under their Vintage Classics banner – The Lavender Hill Mob and Kind Hearts & Coronets – while Criterion are taking us into the subconscious of one of the all-time great directors with their remaster of Kurosawa’s Dreams. Going back even further to the silent era, Eureka!’s Masters Of Cinema series is presenting the groundbreaking horror The Cat And The Canary, while the studio’s main imprint offers more modern thrills with the cult Jet Li title Black Mask.
This week also sees Indicator launch an exhaustive list of diverse cult titles, which include; swinging sixties satire A Severed Head, vampire erotica The Nude Vampire (available in 4K!), pirate rape-revenge thriller The Demoniacs (also reissued in 4K), a plethora of Humphrey Bogart film noirs in Dead Reckoning, Knock On Any Door, The Harder They Fall and Tokyo Joe, 1950s legal thriller The Family Secret, supernatural Brit-flick Voices, and the Jack Nicholson/Warren Beatty screwball comedy The Fortune.
88 Films also have a ton of new releases this week, which include the 90’s mountain climbing thriller Vertical Limit, Burt Reynolds in Gator, big-budget sci-fi comedy Evolution, the Jackie Chan curio Fearless Hyena 2, Nazi zombie thriller Shock Waves, and the third and fourth films in Hong Kong’s Inspector Wears Skirts action-crime franchise.
Monday, 29th April
We’re closing out the month with three massive steelbooks, as the Ocean’s Trilogy is coming to 4K! You can buy each movie in the George Clooney heist-comedy franchise in individual steelbooks, or pick them up in a steelbook collection featuring all three, whilst stocks last.
Other steelbooks arriving this week include the totally fetch Mean Girls 4K remaster, and the latest DC animation Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 2. Joining them in 4K is one collection you’ll never want to let go of – one of the biggest blockbusters of all time, Titanic – and the gloriously trashy Basket Case, which is getting its own Limited Edition set from Arrow.
Also coming from Arrow is provocative nunsploitation title Behind Convent Walls, which is one of several key releases from boutique labels at the end of the month. Eureka! Classics have remastered both films in martial arts franchise China O’Brien, Raro Video are releasing restored 1970s Italian crime flick The Boss, and the BFI are releasing Chocolat, the debut feature by acclaimed arthouse filmmaker Claire Denis.
Finally, three titles are being released by Radiance on exclusive pressings limited to just 3,000 worldwide; lyrical Japanese melodrama The Shape Of Night, French New Wave classic L’Amour Fou, and a forgotten coming-of-age classic, Misunderstood.
Browse and Pre-order all upcoming physical media releases at Zavvi.
