There have been a few moves that could shape the future of cinema and on demand of late. This latest is one of them.
The long-awaited live-action remake of 'Mulan' will now arrive on Disney+.
The movie was originally set to hit cinemas back in March. It was one of many cinema releases delayed due to the pandemic.
'Mulan' will debut on Disney's streaming service on September 4th.
It is available to rent at the premium price of $29.99 (£22). This would be on top of customers' monthly subscription fee of $6.99 (€6.99).
Territories in which it will be available include the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and most Western European countries.
In markets where Disney+ is unavailable, 'Mulan' will hit cinemas.
The streaming service has previously opted to skip theatres in the case of 'Artemis Fowl' and hit Broadway musical 'Hamilton'.
According to Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek, this move does not mark a new business model for the House of Mouse (although it kind of does).
He said: "We’re looking at ‘Mulan’ as a one-off as opposed to saying there’s some new business windowing model that we’re looking at."
He added: "The global reach of our full portfolio of direct-to-consumer services now exceeds an astounding 100 million paid subscriptions – a significant milestone and a reaffirmation of our DTC strategy, which we view as key to the future growth of our company."
The rental price of 'Mulan' is sizable, costing approximately $10 more than 'Trolls World Tour' and other premium VOD releases that have skipped cinemas to go to on demand.
Now it looks like it's all down to 'Tenet' to save the summer blockbuster...
'Mulan' debuts on Disney+ on September 4th.
