Mulan Is Slated To Be THE FIRST Film to Open At Cinemas After Lengthy Closure
With the news this weekend that Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is pushing its re-opening date back until later in the month (July 31st) it looks like Disney’s live-action update of Mulan may hold the distinction of being THE FIRST film to open in theatres around the globe after a lengthy COVID-19 closure.
As we’ve previously reported here at MickeyBlog, Mulan is currently scheduled for a July 24th opening. The film was among the first films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic with an original release date of March 27th. The action drama directed by Niki Caro was then pushed to July 24th which was the date previously held by Jungle Cruise which has since been pushed into next Summer.
But the question remains to be seen whether Disney wants the distinction of being the first one out of the gates. Artemis Fowl, which was supposed to come out in theaters before Mulan was moved to Disney+ and debuted yesterday. This was probably a good move since the film has been panned by critics and wasn’t expected to match the success of Mulan.
According to a piece in ComicBook.com, Disney CEO Bob Chapek also spoke out regarding the release of Mulan saying that it and other expected blockbusters like Black Widow (bushed to November 6th) and Pixar’s Soul (moved to November 20) would not skip theaters to head straight to Disney+ or VOD.
“We believe in the theatrical experience, particularly to launch big blockbuster franchise films,” Chapek said in an interview with CNBC. “It fuels the entire Disney company, from consumer products to theme parks all the way to Disney+. And so we really think that’s the smart way to launch our big, tentpole films.”
However, that being said, yesterday the company announced that The One and Only Ivan which was originally slated to come out in theaters on August 14th would instead go directly to DIsney+ for an August 21st release.
It remains to be seen whether Mulan will stay the course and hold the distinction of being the first major motion picture to come out in the new COVID-19 world, whether Disney will move the film until later in the year or until 2021 or whether the company will buckle under the pressure and release it on Disney+.
This is a story that we will continue to follow closely here at MickeyBlog. Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for the latest movie news and updates.
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