The curious case of Mulan looks set to develop into one of the most interesting sagas of the summer. Having originally been scheduled for March before being delayed to the end of August as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, Niki Caro’s live-action remake of the 1998 animated classic was then pulled from the release calendar altogether, before it was announced that for a one-off fee of $29.99, Disney Plus subscribers can stream the hugely-anticipated blockbuster from the comfort of their own homes.
While some people were thrilled at the news, others weren’t so happy. For one thing, theater owners were furious that Disney had basically wiped out any profits they stood to make from Mulan, with the Mouse House set to earn a good deal of money from releasing it on their in-house platform now that they don’t have split the revenue.
Many Disney Plus subscribers balked at the idea of paying a further $30 on top of their monthly fee as well, especially when the likes of Artemis Fowl and the upcoming The One and Only Ivan had also been pulled from theaters and sent straight to streaming, without the studio trying to wring an extra few dollars out of their customer base.
Now, a new poll has asked if people would be willing to pay the extra money to rent Mulan on Disney Plus, and with over 4000 votes being cast, the answer looks to be an emphatic no.
Will you rent #Mulan on #Disney+ for $29.99?
— ComicBook.com (@ComicBook) August 4, 2020
30$ is just too much. If it were Black Widow, maybe, but even then it would probably be too much money
— Francesco Ricci (@iamnandissimo) August 4, 2020
After paying a monthly fee, I am not sinking more money into something like that, unless they ship a hard copy to me, as well
— Adam Driskell (@adam_driskell) August 5, 2020
Yes, my wife and daughter will@want to watch it and I want other studios to get on direct digital releases!
— Wes (@comicconster) August 5, 2020
Already paying for Disney+ here. I don’t think that price justifies the ‘rental’ of any new film. Considering we’ve just heard Disney have reached their projected numbers for the first 5 years already, this $30 rental charge is just pure greed imo
— Kel (@kelwinser) August 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/BatmanFanboy12/status/1290765372069740546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1290765372069740546%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fmulan-disney-plus-poll-shows-majority-wont-pay-fee-rent-stream%2F
https://twitter.com/maloonds/status/1290762230619934722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1290762230619934722%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fmulan-disney-plus-poll-shows-majority-wont-pay-fee-rent-stream%2F
Does Disney really think people are going to pay $30 to watch that Mulan remake without Mushu? pic.twitter.com/6ugwun9hhN
— ItsRyan✨ (@MztrGaga) August 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/Moosetifed/status/1290796757425590272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1290796757425590272%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fmulan-disney-plus-poll-shows-majority-wont-pay-fee-rent-stream%2F
I really don’t get this strategy. I already pay Disney+ for new content, and now they’re going to charge on top of it? I get how it’s cheaper for families than the theatre, but it’s still a greedy, crap idea.
— DomBob (@RobVanDom) August 4, 2020
That’s six bucks a person for my family of 5. 🤷🏻♂️ not a bad deal for a brand new movie. Good thing I have a huge tv.
— JayDub (@JayDubRan) August 4, 2020
While this is Disney we’re talking about, and we all know full well that millions of people are going to shell out for Mulan on day one despite what they claim online, you can understand both sides of the argument. For a person that lives alone, paying $30 for a long-term rental seems steep, but if there’s a family of five or six, then it works out a lot cheaper than going to the movies. Regardless, the controversy looks set to continue for a while yet, especially with the theatrical experience still a long way away from making a full-blown comeback.