For the third time, Disney has delayed the theatrical release of Niki Caro’s upcoming live-action Mulan. This news officially marks the end of Hollywood’s hopes of saving the box office for the summer season.
The film is now expected to hit theaters on August 21. Before, the remake was expected to debut on the big screen on July 24. It was originally set to open on March 27, but was pulled two weeks before as the coronavirus pandemic worsened across North America.
The July date was deemed as overly optimistic as there are no guarantees that cinemas would be able to reopen by then, or at least enough to compensate the plummeting box office. Major cinema chains in the U.S., such as AMC, Regal and Cinemark, will reportedly open for business in July, but it’s unclear how eager patrons will be to return to the movies.
Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer, and Alan Bergman, co-chairman, The Walt Disney Studios, made a statement about the delay: “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.”
The news comes after Warner Bros. postponed Christopher Nolan’s Tenet for a second time. The sci-fi pic is now expected to release on August 12. Mulan will debut the weekend after Tenet‘s five day opening from Aug. 12-16.
Cases of Covid-19 has surged nationwide in the past week. New York and Los Angeles’ theaters’ reopenings are still up in the air, and with the second wave of Covid-19 reportedly hitting certain areas in China, this would continue to stall cinema businesses and continuous pushback of highly anticipated movies like the $200 million Mulan.
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