Theater chains in the United Kingdom have expressed displeasure with Disney's plans to release Mulan as a video-on-demand title for Disney+ subscribers."The decision not to give cinemas a chance to play the film (even if day and date with Disney +) is frankly bewildering and something we’ve of course gone back to them on," said Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, as reported by THR.Picture House cinema owner Kevin Markwick commented on Disney's decision in a pair of tweets. The first of these stated, "Mulan on Disney +. Thanks Disney chums, we'll be here warm & waiting for you when you plan to return, having existed on thin air and love & cuddles and happy thoughts. Just give us a buzz when you are ready. I'll be sleeping in a doorway outside the bank soaked in my own wee."Markwick's second tweet continued, "One other thing special Disney cuddle bums, if sectors of the industry are so sure that VOD and cinemas can live together, why not let us have a bash at showing Mulan at the same time? XX00XX."
Disney, for its part, has sent a letter to British cinemas saying that sending Mulan to Disney+ was a decision "not taken lightly. Given that COVID-19 has disrupted large parts of the content pipeline and markets are in vastly different situations right now, and after delaying the global theatrical debut multiple times, we are subsequently taking a tailored approach to this release."