Your Biggest Mulan On Disney+ Questions, Answered

Disney’s live-action Mulan remake is set for release on Disney+ on September 4 following a confirmation by the studio that the film will cost $29.99 on top of the monthly subscription fee for existing users. Mulan becomes the second major release by Disney to hit Disney+ as a direct-to-consumer title after Artemis Fowl‘s worldwide release on the platform in June 2020.

Mulan stars Liu Yifei as the titular hero who responds to a decree by the Emperor asking one representative of every family to join the Imperial Army and help defend China from invaders. The Chinese folklore-inspired tale, which was previously adapted as a Disney Animated Classic in 1998 sees Mulan disguise herself as a man to become an honored warrior.

While Disney’s official announcement of Mulan‘s release clarified that Niki Caro’s live-action remake will now debut on the streaming platform in available countries, there are a lot of details that are worth clarifying and questions worth answering.

Why Disney Are Releasing Mulan On Disney+

Mulan is being released on Disney+ in the US, Canda, the UK, and every international territory with access to the platform after the film’s initial March release was canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Since that initial cancellation, the release date was shifted three times before most recently Mulan was removed from release indefinitely.

With the cinema industry still suffering the effects of the pandemic and the landscape of film releases changing massively in the first half of 2020, Disney’s decision to release Mulan on Disney+ comes after impressive growth in subscription numbers. While that is certainly a positive slant, the situation with lockdown and uncertainty over theatres reopening and the industry returning to normal have led to Disney’s unprecedented decision.

Disney chief executive Bob Chapek also confirmed in a call with investors that the release would allow Disney to recoup some of the $200m Mulan cost to make as well as the additional marketing costs. Disney also hopes to leverage the release into increased subscriptions on Disney+.

How Much Does Mulan Cost On Disney+?

Bob Chapek has confirmed that Mulan will be available for $29.99 on release to subscribers. That comes on top of the $6.99 monthly subscription cost (or $69.99 annually) and the PPV payment acts as a purchase for subscribers.

Chapek’s statement didn’t offer concrete confirmation that non-subscribers could pay the $29.99 fee (or higher) to own and watch Mulan on Disney+ without having to subscribe and as yet, there has been no clarification.

Why Does Mulan Cost So Much On Disney+?

At $29.99, Mulan‘s release is significantly higher than the price Universal charged for Trolls: World Tour (which also skipped theaters to go direct-to-on-demand) back in April 2020, prompting questions over the inflated cost (particularly with the added subscription price on top). Per Bob Chapek’s announcement, Disney is looking to recover some of Mulan‘s $200m plus costs, which will be helped by the price point and by the fact that Disney won’t have to split revenue since they own the platform outright.

On top of that, the higher price point operates as an indicator that the release if premium while protecting Disney’s secondary revenue opportunities down the line. At almost $30, the prestige of Mulan‘s Disney+ release is preserved, while also protecting the distribution chain and leaving open the chance for consumers to buy it later at a lower price point (either on physical home release or as a subscription driver when it hits Disney+ as part of the monthly package).

When Is Mulan Available To Buy On Disney+?

Mulan will be available to buy, own and watch on Disney+ from September 4 in all territories with access to the platform.

Will Mulan Be Only A Rental On Disney+?

The one-time $29.99 cover fee for Mulan on Disney+ is not a rental price. A representative for Disney has already confirmed that Disney+ subscribers who buy the live-action remake will have “continuous” access to the film as long as they are subscribed.

That means that subscribers who pay to watch Mulan will get to rewatch the film alongside the rest of Disney+’s catalog as many times as they like over the course of their subscription period.

Is Mulan Releasing In Cinemas At All Alongside Disney+?

As well as releasing on Disney+ in every territory that has access to the platform, Mulan will also receive cinematic releases in markets where Disney+ isn’t available. The biggest territory that won’t have a direct-to-consumer release is China, which was always identified as a hugely important market for Mulan (with some of the film tailored to the market specifically).

Disney+ is not yet available but scheduled to launch in Indonesia on September 5, immediately after Mulan‘s Disney+ release, and then in Northern Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg Norway, Portugal, and Sweden) on September 15. The confirmed release of Disney+ in Latin America is set for November 2020. Mulan will have a cinematic release in all territories without access to Disney+ on release and where cinemas are open.

When Is Mulan Available For Free On Disney+?

Currently, there is no timeline for Mulan‘s free release as part of the $6.99 Disney+ subscription model. Frozen 2 was released in US cinemas in November 2019 and was initially intended to arrive on Disney+ in the US and other available territories in late June 2020. That plan changed when Disney moved up the release by three months into March as a response to the global pandemic, so it’s unlikely Mulan would emulate that timeline.

Even expecting Mulan to be released on Frozen 2‘s initial timeline may prove incorrect, as the film’s direct-to-consumer release gives Disney an opportunity to keep it behind a paywall for as long as subscribers are buying it. It’s likely the agenda to claw back as much of Mulan‘s cost as possible will see a significant PPV release window, before it is added to the Disney+ catalog for subscribers.

Will Mulan Have A Physical Media Release On Blu-Ray?

While it may seem that the Disney+ release model makes physical media releases for Mulan unlikely, Disney’s precedent with Frozen 2 suggests that there will be both Blu-ray and 4k releases prior to Mulan‘s addition as a free title on Disney+.

Will Other Disney Movies Follow Mulan’s Model?

This isn’t the first Disney film to swerve a cinematic release and come straight to Disney+. Somewhat notoriously, Kenneth Branagh’s Artemis Fowl was released on the platform in June. That film was included as part of the Disney+ monthly subscription and other upcoming exclusives (like Marvel’s MCU shows) will continue to follow that model.

Bob Chapek clarified in his investors call that Disney is “looking at Mulan as a one-off as opposed to saying there’s some new business windowing model that we’re looking at.” That would suggest Disney has no established plans to move any of their other upcoming movies to the platform on the same PPV model. That will be positive news for the cinema industry, which saw stock prices fall in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, but Chapek also confirmed that Disney wants to “learn from it and see the actual number of transactions.” Whether that will inform a change in future plans remains to be clarified.

Disney has no plans to release Black Widow on Disney+ and fellow Marvel-inspired release New Mutants is still slated for a cinematic release with questions over the deal with Fox prohibiting a Disney+ only release. There is also the chance that Disney will sell off other upcoming releases, as has happened with Amy Adams thriller The Woman In The Window, which is headed to Netflix. Other films may follow that path rather than the one set by Mulan.