Mulan to skip theatres as producer opts for direct OTT release in Disney+ Hotstar
Mulan, the live-action adaptation of Disney's 1983 animation film, is one of the much-anticipated films of 2020. The release of the film, which is based on Chinese folklore The Ballad of Mulan, was postponed many times by Disney due to the pandemic. However, the production house has finally decided to release the film online.
Mulan will be released on Disney Plus on September 4. However, unlike other films on the OTT platform, Mulan will not be accessible to all the subscribers. Instead, the film will be available only on demand, and the viewer in the U.S. and other territories will have to pay USD 29.99 to watch the movie.
This is a new model that Disney is using for the film. However, the studio has said that this is a one-off thing and are not seeing it as a viable business model for the future, according to Variety. The news has come as a severe blow to theatre exhibitors as Mulan was among few films which looked like it will bring back audiences to theatres.
Directed by Niki Caro, the film was initially planned to release on March 9. It stars Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, and Jason Scott Lee among others.