Mulan Skips Theaters To Premiere On Disney+ For A Rental Price

Published on August 5, 2020.

(Disney Enterprises, Inc. via AP)

Disney has finally shared its release plan for its live-action version of Mulan after much anticipation.

The network has decided to forgo releasing the film to theatres and release it straight to their streaming app Disney+ instead. The film will be released on September 4th and available to watch for a rental fee of $29.99. The rental price is an extra fee on top of the subscription fee for those who already have Disney+. They’ve also shared that the film will be released in theaters in countries where Disney+ is not yet available.

The highly anticipated film was originally set to debut in theaters in March but was put on hold due to ongoing health and safety concerns around the world. Disney then pushed the date back to July but decided to postpone again until September given the circumstances.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek opened up about the decision and shared this is a one-time situation, not a plan they intend to move forward with for other films. “We’re looking at Mulan as a one-off as opposed to say there’s some new business windowing model that we’re looking at,” Chapek said during a call on Tuesday.

The decision to debut Mulan on Disney+ comes after the streaming service saw huge success in July when it released the blockbuster Broadway musical Hamilton, which was initially intended to debut in theaters. They also saw a positive response from Beyoncé’s Black Is King film, which debuted on the platform last week.