Today Disney has made the difficult decision to delay some of its upcoming major releases. In just the past few days, No Time to Die, F9, and A Quiet Place 2 have all been delayed, and now Mulan, The New Mutants, and Antlers are joining the list due to health concerns around the spread of the coronavirus.
No new release dates have yet been announced, as it is unclear when the situation might be remedied. The Disney films were on track to be released in the next few weeks, with Mulan just around the corner on March 27. The New Mutants was scheduled for April 3 and Antlers for April 17.
Theaters around the world have been closing, with more following suit daily. China, a major market for the film, has had theater doors closed for weeks while Poland, Lebanon, Italy, India, and more have done the same. Hong Kong, France, and Korea have implemented partial closes, and the US is also at risk of having to close at least some theaters in the coming weeks.
The news came in a social media message from the director of Mulan, Niki Caro.
A message from Mulan Director, Niki Caro. pic.twitter.com/0L3VzAfaeB
— Mulan (@DisneysMulan) March 12, 2020
The entertainment industry has certainly been impacted by this crisis and it’s too soon to say exactly when things will turn around for the better. For now it is a guessing game, with both safety of theater goers and film crews, as well as box office numbers, all being taken into consideration.