Disney announces the Mulan live-action movie will release on Disney+ in September for a premium price, and will debut theatrically in certain markets the same day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulan was delayed from its original March 27 release date. It was moved to July 24, before being pushed again to August 21. Most recently, Mulan was removed from Disney's release schedule as the film studio evaluated when and how to released the live-action remake.

The pandemic, which caused the closures of movie theaters around the world, has affected the entertainment industries in many ways - one of which has been significant delays or changes to releases dates for tentpole blockbuster films. Some movies have opted to forgo theatrical releases entirely, debuting on streaming services and/or for premium rental fees via on-demand. In fact, Disney chose to go that route with a film the studio acquired from 20th Century Fox, the adaptation of Artemis Fowl. This spring, Disney announced Artemis Fowl would release on Disney+ instead of delaying its theatrical release date. Now, Disney is choosing a hybrid streaming and theatrical release strategy for its live-action remake Mulan.

Related: Disney’s Live-Action Mulan Does NOT Have Mushu: Here’s Why

Today, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek announced Mulan will release in the U.S. and other markets on the Disney+ streaming service Friday, September 4 for $29.99. Mulan will be available via Disney+ in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia and many Western European countries. The movie will also release theatrically on the same day in markets where movie theaters are open and Disney+ isn't available.

Mulan

This news of Mulan skipping a theatrical-only release to debut on Disney+ and in theaters the same day is quite shocking. Disney's Mulan is without question the biggest film to move to a streaming release so far (with, perhaps, the exception of certain movies that were already in theaters when closures began), even if it's a combination of streaming and theater screenings. Mulan was expected to be a big box office earner for Disney, particularly as it's one of the first blockbusters with a predominantly Asian cast. Although Mulan can still prove to be a financial success, it will never be known whether the movie could've seen massive, record-breaking success like that which Black Panther earned when it released in 2018.

Additionally, though Disney's Chapek maintained that Mulan is a one-off, and other blockbusters like Black Widow aren't being considered for a Disney+ release, this move is sure to have an impact on Hollywood as a whole. Up until this announcement, Mulan was jockeying with Warner Bros' Tenet to be the first major movie to hit theaters as they began to reopen. But while Warners chose to release Tenet to international markets before the U.S. - and it's still not clear whether its current early September date will hold - Disney has opted to make Mulan available on streaming for a premium price while releasing theatrically simultaneously. Depending on how well Mulan performs in both venues, it may impact the way studios release the rest of their 2020 movies. For now, movie fans will have to wait and see.

Next: Mulan 2020: Biggest Changes To The Original (So Far)

Source: Disney