Disney has further deferred the big screen release of live-action remake of Mulan for a third time now. Originally set to hit theaters in the U.S. on 27 March, the live-action remake of the animated classic, was supposed to release on 24 July because of the pandemic. Now, it’s further pushed to 21 August putting an end to Hollywood’s hopes for a successful summer movie season.
Starring Liu Yifei in the titular role, Mulan costs $200 million and is expected to strongly resonate in China but with the Chinese movie theaters being currently closed, and it’s uncertain about a reopening date. Given the importance of Mulan in China, it would be risky to release the movie and leave Chinese audiences behind.
“While the pandemic has changed our release plans for ‘Mulan’ and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance. Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic, and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that’s where we believe it belongs – on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together,” said Disney’s co-chairman and chief creative officer Alan Horn and co-chairman Alan Bergman.
This comes after Pixar pushed Soul from June to November release, Raya and the Dragon, which was originally planned for the November slot has been pushed to 2021. The fourth John Wick movie, meanwhile, has been deferred to 2022, and the entire upcoming Marvel slate has been delayed too.
Warner Bros. also postponed the release of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Tenet will now release on 12 August.
