When it was announced that “Mulan” would be skipping theaters altogether, after multiple theatrical delays, and heading straight to Disney+ as a “Premier Access” title, people were shocked. Theater owners cried foul. Disney+ subscribers were upset at having to pay $30 extra to access the film. And most people were curious if this was indicative of what the studio might do in the future. Basically, a lot was riding on the release of “Mulan” and people have been anxiously awaiting word from Disney about how well (or not) the film performed. Well, we’re still going to be waiting, as Disney CEO Bob Chapek told investors (via Deadline) that he was happy with the release but didn’t go further than that.
READ MORE: Family Films Dominate As ‘Mulan’ Leads The List Of Top PVOD Films During The Pandemic
The Disney CEO said that he is “pleased with the results of Mulan as a Premier Access title,” but he failed to mention any specifics when it comes to numbers. Of course, this is pretty much how business is done with streaming platforms, as third-party analytics have almost no access to exact figures and folks like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney aren’t keen on releasing numbers unless they can “wow” people with ludicrously high figures. And even then, most of those numbers are massaged and skewed in a favorable light.
READ MORE: ‘Mulan’: Disney Defends Thanking Chinese Government In Film’s Credits
All that to say, “pleased” is an interesting word to use and also just as ambiguous as we would come to expect from anyone associated with a high-profile, incredibly risky streaming decision that could cost the studio hundreds of millions of dollars. But Chapek went further to temper expectations but qualifying his pleasure by alluding to the controversy that surrounded “Mulan” when it was released. The controversy is a reference to the Chinese internment camps that exist in the country and specifically in a location that Disney thanked in the credits of the live-action remake.
He added, “Unfortunately the title was met with controversy in the U.S. and internationally, but we saw positive results to know that we had something in the Premier Access strategy.”
As mentioned, there are two ways to look at this. First, there’s the optimistic outlook that says Chapek is forthright and honest, and the numbers for “Mulan” are good and Disney is pleased. The second option, and the one seemingly believed by most analysts and those “in the know,” is that Chapek is holding back numbers because they’re not impressive and Disney is going to take a pretty big loss on “Mulan” after everything is all said and done, but he’s playing his cards close to his chest in case the company has to do something similar for a future film (“Black Widow,” possibly?).
Regardless, the word out of Disney and its CEO is all positive. Take that for what it’s worth. “Mulan” is available now on Disney+, VOD, and Blu-ray.
