Disney’s Live-Action Mulan Is Now Free On Disney+ | Screen Rant
Disney's live-action Mulan is now available to stream at no extra cost for Disney+ subscribers after originally releasing with Premier Access.
Disney+ subscribers can now stream the live-action Mulan at no extra cost. An update of the original 1998 animated film, Disney's Mulan was set to be one of 2020's most exciting movies. It promised a more adult take on the story, with an increased focus on battle scenes earning it a PG-13 rating. The live-action Mulan was supposed to come out in March of this year. In fact, the movie had a standard Hollywood premiere. Soon after, Mulan was removed from the release schedule. It then received a new date in July and another in August.
However, Disney shocked the movie industry in late summer with its announcement Mulan would forgo a traditional, theater-dependent release in the U.S. Instead, it was made available on Disney+ at the start of September, but for an added cost. Billed as a Premier Access offering, viewers paid $29.99 to watch Mulan. At the time of the announcement, Disney CEO Bob Chapek stated the film's streaming release was a "one-off" and not an indicator of the company's strategy going forward. Of course, at that time many assumed theaters across the globe would be open by now, which is not the case.
As promised by Disney earlier this year, the live-action Mulan is now available to watch for free on Disney+. Today is the first day subscribers who did not pay the Premier Access fee are able to stream it. This will open the movie up to a wider audience, or at least those with a Disney+ subscription.
The news about Mulan comes during a very interesting week for the film industry. While Disney's announcement about the added cost for the film came as a surprise to many, it pales in comparison to a recent decision by Warner Bros. The studio will make its entire 2021 movie slate available to U.S. HBO Max subscribers the same day the films release to theaters. Notably, this will come at no extra cost to subscribers, unlike Disney's original release for Mulan. This has frustrated some who paid the $30 back in September now that they know they'll receive a similar experience on HBO Max without the added cost.
Of course, it's worth noting Warner Bros.' announcement was quite shocking and would have been even more surprising a few months ago. Disney made the decision about Mulan based on the current situation, which has changed dramatically since then. Though some may still be upset about the Premier Access model, it helps they can watch Mulan at no added cost now. Hopefully, its wider availability will introduce a new audience to the live-action take on the beloved original.
Source: Disney+