I got a lot of hate last month for suggesting, via a very strong source, that Disney was working on sending Pixar’s “Soul” straight to Disney+ this coming November. I stand by my reporting and believe an announcement will happen shortly. Meanwhile, Disney has done exactly that today with another one of their hotly anticipated titles by skipping the theatrical release for their upcoming “Mulan” in favor of, you guessed it, a Disney+ premiere.
The mouse house had removed “Mulan” from the release schedule a couple of weeks ago, but Disney executive Bob Chapek announced that “Mulan” is arriving on Disney+ in many regions (including the US and Canada) on September 4. However, unlike the rest of the library, it will require an additional $29.99 fee to access the film. In countries where Disney+ isn’t available, the film will be available in theaters, whenever they may open.
Disney will be making a boatload of cash out of this, just watch, it’ll kickstart a domino effect that will have theaters biting their nails in disapproval, but Disney remaining resistant in their decision-making. Disney+ is not even a year old and still building on its millions of subscription counts, the “Mulan” release is meant to bring in profits and augment the Disney+ subscription base.
The wheels are already turning to lock in a sequel to Greta Gerwig's 2023 blockbuster, and it sounds like an inevitability: "There's no way “Barbie 2” doesn't happen."