The long-awaited live-action remake will skip theaters in the U.S. in favor of a mid-pandemic streaming premiere.
It's been a long wait, but we finally have an answer about the film worth waiting for! The live-action remake of Mulan will be skipping theaters and releasing on Disney+ in the U.S. and other countries on Sept. 4.
The announcement was made on an earnings call with new Disney CEO Bob Chapek on Tuesday. Mulan, which stars Liu Yifei as the titular heroic warrior, will premiere on Disney's streaming service for an initial rental fee of $29.99 in the United States.
Disney+ markets in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and a number of countries in Western Europe will receive streaming access to the film at a varied price point on the same day, and in countries without Disney+ and where theaters are open, the film will also be released theatrically on Sept. 4.
"We see this as an opportunity to bring this incredible film to a broad audience currently unable to go to movie theaters, while also further enhancing the value and attractiveness of a Disney+ subscription with this great content," said Chapek of the decision.
The film was set to be a major 2020 blockbuster for Disney, but just days after its Hollywood premiere in March, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting theater closures forced the delayed release of almost every film slated for a summer release. Mulan, originally scheduled for March 27, was pushed to July 24 and then Aug. 21 before being removed from the schedule entirely. Now, fans will finally be able to see the long-anticipated live-action epic.
Mulan reimagines the 1998 animated classic, with a few notable changes: It's not a musical, for one, and doesn't see Mushu brought to life. It also incorporates elements from the original source material, the 5th century fable of a Chinese warrior, as this new take on Hua Mulan disguises herself as a male soldier to take her father's place in battle. Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Tzi Ma and Li Gong co-star.
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