MULAN: Will Disney Be Able To Break Even, Or Make A Profit, With The Movie's Planned Disney+ Release?

The Hollywood Reporter has shared an in-depth examination of Disney's decision to release Mulan on Disney+ this September for $29.99, a move which will see the movie skip theaters altogether. It's an unprecedented tactic, but one Screen Engine/ASI CEO Kevin Goetz sums up by saying, "COVID-19 isn't responsible for PVOD's success, it merely accelerated the inevitable."

While theater owners were upset with the studio taking Mulan down this route, Disney's stock soared by more than 10% the day after the news broke, and it's believed that despite CEO Bob Chapek's claims this is a "one-off," they're definitely using this as a way of testing the waters with PVOD.

Disney+ has thus far attracted over 60 million subscribers, and the trade explains that "[Disney] would need to sell 29 million units to equal $1 billion in global box office grosses. That estimate, however, excludes theatrical revenue from the markets where it can play in cinemas; the benefit of drawing new Disney+ subscribers; and the potential to monetize by windowing Mulan on third-party PVOD platforms."

Whether the studio will do the latter is hard to say, especially as making Mulan a Disney+ exclusive means forgoing sharing a cut of the profits with iTunes and Amazon Prime. 

Online, you may have noticed some backlash from those shocked at the $29.99 price tag, but a poll conducted by the trade confirms an increased interest in Mulan despite it skewing older than other Disney titles with that PG-13 rating.

Needless to say, September will be an interesting month between this and Tenet playing in a select number of theaters across the globe. 

Will you be buying Mulan?