Mulan's switch from a theatrical to streaming release had less to do with closed theaters and more to do with research. The research showed terrible theatrical projections for the live-action adaptation, leading to the decision to put it out on Disney+.
Disney CFO Christine McCarthy said consumers' reaction to returning to movie theaters during COVID-19 was a major factor in the decision. The lack of open theaters and strict guidelines in New York and Los Angeles played into the decision as well.
"We know what the statistics are on consumer behavior when people are asked, ‘Would you go to a theater?'"she stated. "It’s gone up a bit in the last month, but a lot of that has to do with what demographic you’re in. In general, if you look at that research, you’ll generally see that older people are less likely. Probably younger people — the same people who are doing things we see on the news shows that they probably shouldn’t be doing, and crowding and partying — they’re probably more likely to go to a theater. But would a family with young kids go? Probably not."
McCarthy mentioned the film's potential audience would have been around 40 percent compared to pre-COVID-19 theatrical releases. She stated the House of Mouse was "very pleased" with the film's results as it brought "in some additional new subscribers." While the film is streaming on Disney+, it has been a hit in the overseas market.
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+.
(via Deadline)