When “Tenet” moved dates, from July 17 to July 31, that left Disney’s live-action “Mulan” with the uncomfortable role of being the first major studio film to debut worldwide after theaters reopen due to COVID-19. With Disney’s former stance of waiting and seeing what WB does before making a decision about “Mulan,” it was assumed that the film would be moving release dates yet again. But here we are, days later, and “Mulan” is still scheduled for July 24. For now.
According to THR, it appears that the release date for “Mulan” is currently in jeopardy. The report claims that Disney is concerned with the spike in COVID-19 cases in certain US states, as well as the unknown nature of China, leading the studio to consider another delay for its live-action film. Previously, “Mulan” was supposed to release in March but the initial worldwide outbreak of the pandemic forced Disney to reschedule to July. But now, it’s completely unclear if Disney is going to risk it and release the film in less than a month or just delay and hope the third date is the charm.
Much like the discussion surrounding “Tenet,” for Disney to be comfortable releasing “Mulan,” the studio wants theaters in New York and Los Angeles to be up and running, as those markets make up a huge portion of the entire US box office. Not only that, but Disney has been banking big on “Mulan” attracting a massive total in China, as the film features a ton of the nation’s biggest names in the cast and the story is tied into the culture.
All this to say, it’s clearly not likely that Disney is going to stick to the July 24 release date. There are still a number of unknowns and the spike in COVID-19 cases in the US alone is enough to cause caution. But realistically, there isn’t even marketing happening for the film and a blockbuster of this size requires at least a month’s worth of marketing just to let people know the film is arriving.
The real question is not if “Mulan” will release on July 24 (as mentioned, that’s completely unlikely), but really when is the right time to release the film. The fall is already packed with films, and again, there’s really no knowing what the landscape will look like at that time. Does Disney then just look at 2021 and plug the film into the schedule for next spring/summer? It’s highly doubtful that Disney will release the film on its streaming service, especially considering DIsney+ isn’t in nearly enough countries to warrant that sort of debut. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.
