A representative for Disney has confirmed that Disney+ subscribers who buy Mulan for $29.99 will have access to the film as long as they subscribe to the service, and that it is not just a one-time rental fee. The news that Mulan will be released to Disney+ as well as select theaters at the same time caused shock waves around the world yesterday. The move is a big step for the media giant, given that their live-action adaptation of the 1998 animated movie reportedly cost $200 million to make.
The reason why Disney is choosing to release Mulan on streaming is less shocking. Given the current global coronavirus pandemic, the likelihood of the movie struggling to make back even just its production budget if it was just released in theaters seemed high. Now, with fans able to pay the, admittedly high, amount of $29.99 to watch the movie at home, Disney still has a chance of Mulan being a hit and making a profit for them. However, many fans reacted with consternation that they will have to rent the movie for twice the cost of a single theater ticket, on top of their Disney+ subscription, which can cost as much as $6.99 a month.
However, Insider reports that a Disney representative confirmed to them that the $29.99 charge for Mulan will allow subscribers “continuous access” to the movie as long as they “remain subscribers”. This means it is not a one-time rental charge, but rather means that Mulan will sit alongside the other films in Disney+, and will allow audiences who buy it to watch it as many times over the period of their subscription as they want.
The news will come as a relief for fans of the original, who might have been hesitant to shell out such a high amount for a VOD release. However, now that it’s confirmed Mulan will remain available in Disney+ once the fee has been paid, fans will likely be less hesitant to pay for it, given they can then watch it multiple times at their leisure. It also means that Disney will be able to reach the “broad audience” that Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke about during yesterday’s announcement, which was part of Disney’s third quarter earnings call.
The move is a smart one by Disney. They rightly came in for criticisms of greed when the $29.99 fee was assumed to be for rental only, but this should soften the blow for some, if not all, consumers. This is particularly true for families and multi-family households, where the movie will be viewed multiple times. Disney said yesterday that while this is not a one-off, it won’t be releasing Black Widow, another high-budget summer blockbuster that was delayed due to the pandemic, using the same strategy.
However, it’s not difficult to read between the lines and see that this is clearly a litmus test for Disney. Studios around the world are being forced to rethink their release strategies, as Warner Bros. has done with Tenet and for the Mouse House the release of Mulan may well be them testing their possible solution. If it works, it could well change the way big budget movies are released forever, and mark a further shift towards streaming being a priority for the movie business.
Key Release Dates
Mulan
Release Date:2020-09-04
