The highly anticipated live-action release of Mulan is likely to be delayed further due to pandemic conditions. It was originally scheduled to hit theaters on March 27th before being delayed, but it isn't looking likely that it will make the revised date of July 24th.
Blockbuster movies need theaters, especially in Los Angeles and New York, where opening-day ticket sales are the standard by which most award committees measure a movie's success. Los Angeles County is up to over 1200 new cases per day, and currently only allows for drive-in movie theaters. New York venues are similarly limited. The pandemic has touched every entertainment industry and the effects are likely to be felt well into 2021.
Disney's original Mulan cartoon is a touchstone for fans in both the U.S. and China. Given these two countries are the hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, a movie that depends so much on those markets for viewership will fall flat if there is nowhere for moviegoers to see it.
If Disney does decide to go ahead with the July 24th release, Mulan will have to show in drive-in theaters, a western tradition that has lost its appeal in recent years but might be making a comeback in the era of social distancing. It's possible theaters will open in time, but that is looking less likely in the face of rising daily infections.
Movie theater chains like AMC have announced they will require masks when they do reopen, while others like Cinemark say they will not have the requirement.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter