Disney recently announced it would forgo the theatrical release of Mulan and would instead make the film available to Disney+ subscribers for an additional fee. In response to the news, French cinema owner Gerard Lemoine recorded a video of himself destroying promotional art for Mulan to vent his frustration over Disney's decision.
Originally slated for a theatrical release in March 2020, Disney's live-action remake of Mulan was one of the first major Hollywood projects to be pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. While Disney had initially moved the film's release date to July 2020, the rising number of cases in certain countries and capacity limits imposed on exhibitors led to the studio delaying Mulan's debut indefinitely before opting to release the remake on its streaming service. In addition to being available to Disney+ subscribers for an additional $29.99, Mulan will receive a limited theatrical release where theaters have reopened or where the streaming service is not yet available.
Disney's decision to bypass a traditional theatrical release for Mulan has not been well-received by moviegoers and exhibitors, with the latter finding themselves struggling to stay afloat as studios continue to postpone films. Deadline tracked down Lemoine, owner of the independent theater Cinepal, who explained why Mulan going to Disney+ will negatively impact the re-opening plans of exhibitors. "It's really a huge effort to stay open right now for most of us, but we were assuming there would be some ambitious movie releases in the coming weeks. By losing Mulan, we lost the possibility of offering our audiences a long-awaited film that would have helped us after these past hard weeks. It is also a bad message to send to the public [who had been expecting a theatrical release]," he said. Although Lemoine said that exhibitors in France still hope they can rely on Disney to release 20th Century Studios' The King's Man in September, its decision regarding Mulan is "very hard and devastating."
Mulan is Disney's latest in a long line of live-action remakes. Although the critical reception towards these remakes has been mixed, most have proven to be financial successes, with The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and Beast grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
On one hand, fans can probably understand Disney's decision to make Mulan available on Disney+ next month. After all, audiences didn't exactly flock to theaters in the usual numbers after China re-opened most of its venues and with the pandemic currently worsening in the United States, North America might see similar results.
However, the viewpoint of exhibitors is also understandable considering movie theaters have been one of the areas hit hardest by the pandemic. Although Disney may have decided to avoid additional losses in marketing costs, one might argue that the House of Mouse could afford to make that sacrifice while exhibitors can't.
Mulan will be released on September 4th, 2020, on Disney+.
Source: Deadline