Mulan to release on Disney+ for premium price

LOS ANGELES: The Walt Disney Co. said live-action blockbuster ‘Mulan’ will be no longer headed for a major theatrical release and will debut in subscription streaming service Disney+ on 4th September.

This comes with a catch as customers will have to pay an additional $29.99 dollars on top of the monthly subscription to rent ‘Mulan’. The company plans to release it in theatres in areas where Disney+ is not available.

“In order to meet the needs of consumers during this unpredictable period, we thought it was important to find alternative ways to bring this exceptional family-friendly film to them in a timely manner,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said on the company’s earnings call. “We see this as an opportunity to bring this incredible film to a broad audience currently unable to go to movie theaters.”

The live-action remake of the animated film was one of the first major films to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It was originally set for release on 27th Math but moved to late July and then August until it was pulled from the calendar as COVID-19 cases spiked through the United States.

Warner Bros. is moving forward with a theatrical release plan on Christopher Nolan sci-fi thriller ‘Tenet’ internationally first and then in select US theaters a week later on 3rd September.

Disney decided to pivot and direct consumers to its streaming service. It was unexpected that Mulan with a $200 million production will go to go this route.

In late June, when announcing its delay, Disney executives Alan Horn and Alan Bergman wrote in a joint statement that Mulan was, “Everything the cinematic experience should be, and that’s where we believe it belongs—on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together.”