The bargain Disney+ monthly subscription fee of £5.99 has proven to be too good to be true after CEO Bob Chapek has announced the company’s intentions to charge a fee of £23 ($29.99) to watch the recent live-action remake of Mulan. The film, which would have been released in cinemas this March, is being released on the streaming service as a “one-off” distribution approach after the Covid-19 pandemic prevented its theatrical release. Later on this month Disney confirmed again that they would also be releasing the film to wider audiences on Apple, Google and Roku for the same price.
Is it a rip-off?
Well, it depends on how you look at it. The one-time charge will give the user “continuous access” to the film for as long as you subscribe to the streaming service. Although the cost is more than twice the amount of a regular cinema ticket, the investment may seem a good deal for families who would pay just as much, if not more, to take their children to the cinema for a one-time viewing. On the other hand, a cash-strapped student, or a furloughed worker, will likely see it as a too much, unless you were planning to see it two to three times in the cinema.
Ultimately £23 is a drop in the ocean against a $200 Million investment in the film’s budget and promotion. In a cinematic release, the film would have had the potential to make $1 billion had it matched the pull of Disney’s other recent live-action remakes. The extra cost is a desperate attempt to recoup what has been lost at the box office as well as what the larger Disney company has lost in reduced-capacity theme parks and cancelled cruise lines.
Why are they doing this?
“it is clear that they are using Mulan to test the waters before they risk the high-budget blockbusters which come from their leading franchises.”
It’s surprising that Disney have chosen to use Mulan to do this. The 2020 remake has made the conscious effort to stay much closer to the original legend than the 1998 animated feature did in the hopes of appealing to the Chinese audiences who criticised the original for taking too many creative liberties. Given that China is the world’s second largest movie market, many thought that the film release would be delayed until Chinese theatres were able to open again. It’s even more strange considering Disney Plus is yet to be launched in China so Disney are unable to reach a large portion of their target market.
One would imagine Disney might find more success with the much more highly anticipated Black Widow movie which was also delayed due to the pandemic. Given the planned chronology of the MCU, its delay has had a knock-on effect which has now pushed back the rest of the films in Phase 4. Releasing it on Disney Plus would also likely bring more fanboys and fangirls to the streaming service, arriving just in time to catch new Disney Plus exclusive Marvel Shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, given that Disney have also delayed Avatar 2 and the upcoming untitled Star Wars trilogy, it is clear that they are using Mulan to test the waters before they risk the high-budget blockbusters which come from their leading franchises.
What does this mean for new releases?
If Mulan performs well, this could encourage a further shift towards prioritising streaming in new movie releases. Bob Chapek explained that the distribution approach is being viewed as a “one-off” while also calling it an interesting chance to “learn from it and see what happens”. Essentially, Disney are leaving the door open on this one. It might not be the last time you’ll be asked to pay a little extra for a new movie on Disney+.
Alternatively, you could just wait until the film is included in the standard Disney Plus subscription costs. Disney announced that the purchase of Mulan will give you access to the movie “before it’s available to all Disney Plus subscribers”, indicating that it will join the standard library at some point in the future. Past releases have been added to Disney Plus roughly six to nine months after their big screen debuts. However, with the Mulan theatrical release debuting at the same time as the extra-cost Disney Plus release, the timeline is uncertain. Some releases, such as Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, made their way to Disney Plus three months earlier than originally scheduled during the pandemic. At the moment, the future plans for Disney cinematic releases are, as Donny Osmond would sing, as mysterious as the dark side of the moon.
Amy Murray
Featured Image courtesy of Morning Brew on Unsplash.
Amy Murray
Hi! I'm Amy and I'm a 21 year old Journalism MA student at Ulster University, Coleraine. I am a Music graduate and I love writing culture and lifestyle stories.