Over the weekend, it was noted that Mulan was trending #1 on Disney+, something that was taken as a sign it must be a huge hit and that Black Widow would likely join it on the new "Premier Access" service for $29.99. In reality, it wasn't until late yesterday that happened, and while that by no means it was a flop, it could be an indication of how many people were willing to pay for the movie.
Deadline have revealed some specifics, though, explaining that rival industry sources with knowledge of PVOD releases believe that Mulan may not have generated as many sales as expected.
It's believed that how much it actually earned is unlikely to be revealed until an upcoming earnings call, but the news that Mulan will be available for free starting from December 4th was likely a contributing factor to Disney+ subscribers not purchasing the movie (especially when they've already been waiting to watch it since way back in March).
Also of note is the fact Mulan hit illegal torrent websites hours after it premiered on the streamer.
In the handful of countries Mulan did open in this weekend - Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Middle East, Slovakia, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand - it earned $5.9 million. That's a solid result, but DIsney's main source of income with be those $29.99 sales on Disney+.
A Marvel Studios movie is obviously much different to something like Mulan, but if those insiders are correct, the chances of Black Widow debuting in a similar fashion this November seem slim.
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