Movie studios took a gamble on movie fans going back to theaters when they recently reopened amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but one studio chose not to roll the dice with one of its biggest movies of the year. In the U.S., Canada and Europe, Disney released Mulan on Disney+ instead of in theaters. The belief was that it would make more money from Disney+ subscribers paying $30 each to watch it three months early on the streaming service than it would in theaters.
Yet, with its impressive visuals and exciting action scenes, Mulan may not have been the right movie for Disney to release for home viewing. Mulan made $37.6 million worldwide so far, not including Disney+ numbers. However, Disney could have pushed Mulan back to accommodate a theatrical release and premiered a different movie on Disney+ in September: the upcoming Pixar movie, Soul.
Soul is scheduled for a theatrical release on Nov. 20, although prior to the major shutdowns necessitated by the pandemic, Disney planned to release it in July, so it should ready for audiences to see. Since the shutdown, the most successful home releases have been family movies like Scoob! and Trolls World Tour. In April, Trolls World Tour broke digital records when it came out. Similarly, Scoob! reached the top of the VOD charts upon its release. These are movies that people are willing to pay between $20 to $30 for because they are family movies, and they're an excellent budget choice for many families.
Mulan is different. It is a family movie only based on the fact that it is an adaptation of a Disney animated classic. However, the live-action version hasn't generated the same excitement among kids, and its focus on action and its PG-13 rating might deter many parents from paying the money for their younger children to see it. Yes, Mulan is a movie Disney+ allows fans to keep, unlike the VOD releases of Scoob! and Trolls World Tour, which were just rentals, but given the movie's more adult story, it's unlikely Mulan would have the same replayability as the former films. On the other hand, Soul would appeal to all ages and have replay value. As a result, it could have been a massive blockbuster for Disney+.
Right before theaters shuttered, Disney-Pixar released Onward. Because of its truncated theatrical run, the movie made $126 million at the worldwide box office. However, Disney+ added it to the streaming service quickly, and it was a big draw for new subscribers looking for entertainment options for kids stuck indoors for weeks on end. Soul fits a similar profile and could reap similar rewards for the platform.
Mulan's action-packed scenes could have made for an immersive experience for viewers on a large theater screen with Dolby surround sound, something that simply can't be replicated at home. On the other hand, Soul could work just as well on a small screen as a big one. By making Mulan the guinea pig for a Disney+ release, what could have been one of the biggest Disney films of 2020 came and went with a whimper.
Directed by Niki Caro, Disney's live-action Mulan stars Yifei Liu as Mulan, Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan and Yoson An as Chen Honghui, with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The film is now available through Premier Access on Disney+.
Directed by Pete Docter, Soul stars Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, Daveed Diggs and Angela Bassett. The film will be released in theaters on Nov. 20.