Disney is pleased with the initial results of its live-action movie Mulan, which saw a first of its kind release strategy. Due to the pandemic, Mulan was made available to viewers in the United States on the streaming platform Disney+ for an additional amount of $30, apart from the usual $7 per month charge.
The movie was released on the platform over the Labor Day weekend, as well as in movie theatres in a few countries where the streaming platform is not available.
Chief financial officer Christine McCarthy said that Disney is happy with the debut of Mulan on its streaming service and that the picture led to an increase in subscribers. “We are very pleased with what we saw over the four-day weekend — I’ll leave it at that,” McCarthy said in a statement. “A four-day weekend is just the beginning.”
However, Disney has declined to release any sales numbers. Disney had originally planned for the release of the film in theaters in March, but the plan was scrapped due to the pandemic. Ultimately, Mulan was launched online.
Mulan is a live-action remake of the animated feature of the same name, based on an age-old Chinese tale about a female warrior in China.
The movie has already generated controversies. The boycott of Mulan began trending last year itself when the star of the film expressed her support for the Hong Kong police during pro-democracy protests. It further came under fire for shooting part of the film in the Xinjiang, a region in China where the country’s Muslim minority is reportedly oppressed.