On Tuesday, Disney surprised movie fans with the announcement that, after multiple delays in its theatrical release due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, fans will finally get to see Mulan as a “premiere access” release through their Disney+ streaming service. The release will allow subscribers to watch the film from the comfort of their own home beginning September 4th for the price of $29.99. Almost immediately, some subscribers expressed concern about the cost, but now Disney has confirmed that it’s not simply a one-time rental for subscribers. They will have access to the film as long as they remain with Disney+.
According to Insider, a representative for Disney Plus confirmed that the $29.99 cost is not a one-time rental, saying that Disney+ subscribers “will have continuous access to the film for as long as they remain subscribers to the service.”
Mulan getting a Video On Demand release is something that comes as a surprise generally, but when one considers the entertainment landscape currently makes a great deal of sense. In a press release, Disney broke down its third-quarter losses due to the pandemic, reporting a $3 billion loss due to the impact to business. Releasing Mulan on VOD via Disney+ is one that will help offset losses stemming from the film’s lack of a theatrical release, though CEO Bob Chapek did note that Mulan will still screen in select markets with widely opened theaters.
But while Mulan is taking a rather unique approach to release, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up that Marvel’s Black Widow or even The New Mutants which is currently scheduled for theatrical release later in August will take a similar release approach. Chapek explained that Mulan is a one-off, albeit one that they find “very interesting”.
“We are looking at Mulan as a one-off as opposed to saying there’s a new business windowing model we are looking at,” Chapek explained. “That said, we find it very interesting to be able to take a new offering to consumers at that $29.99 price and learn from it and see what happens not only in terms of the uptick of the number of subscribers we got on the platform, but also the number of transactions we get on that PVOD offering.”
Mulan is now set for release on September 4th, both on Disney+ and wherever theaters are open.
Will you be checking out Mulan when it releases in September? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Justin Morgan helped bring TeslaBel from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a contributor to TeslaBel, Justin mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.