The COVID-19 Outbreak has devasted the film industry, especially cinemas. Studios have delayed many of their major released, some many times over. One of them was Mulan but Disney have now decided to release the film straight-to-Disney+ with a $30 surcharge.
Disney’s remake of Mulan was set to be one of the first summer blockbusters for the 2020 season with its original release being in March. However, with the spread of the virus and the subsequent lockdowns, Disney had to push it back. Now that it seems unlikely for cinemas to open in the United States due to the high number of infections Disney has pressed the nuclear button.
There had been calls by a vocal minority for studios to release their major releases onto streaming services, but no studio was willing to take the plunge. This changed with Universal making a deal with AMC that allows the studio to release their films as Premium VOD products. Disney has taken this one step further with their plans.
There are reports that Disney has lost $5 billion during the previous quarter due to the pandemic. They have been unable to release any films to theatres and their theme parks have been shut. The release of Mulan is seen as a way for Disney to recoup some revenue. But the move has been criticised by film fans.
Twitter and Facebook were bombarded with films fans who were critical of the move. Of course, with anything regarding social media minority opinions can be amplified and there have been people who have defended Disney’s move. Disney had to announce that people can keep the film, not just rent it for $30. $30 is still a high price point for purchase. A defence of the move is $30 is cheaper for a family for four instead of a cinema trip, but it punishes single people and childless couples. One of my favourite bad arguments is people can mitigate the cost by inviting friends over; ignoring the fact we are in the middle of a pandemic and we are meant to socially distance. Disney has such high brand loyalty that their fans are willing to forgive such a blatant example of corporate greed. Any other studio would have suffered 99% outrage from film fans and the press.
The deal has a lot of disadvantages: for a start, people still have to pay a monthly subscription on top of the one-time fee. If someone brought the film and decided to cancel their Disney+ they lose their copy of Mulan, so it forces people to keep their subscriptions. Audiences can easily wait for the Blu-ray release or for when the film is a part of the regular Disney+ subscription which means Disney could lose out.
Disney has promised the Mulan release would be a one-time event. However, many people don’t believe them. If the Mulan release is successful it could start a precedent that is bad for the consumer. It could start the floodgates for the studio to release their tentpoles on their own streaming services and with a big paywall in front of them. What would stop a studio from putting their classic films and TV shows or their new big-budget shows behind a paywall, forcing people to buy or rent them? It would look like studios have taken lessons from the video game industry where they are able to get users to pay for subscriptions and add-ons.
The release online will make Mulan a target for pirates. People would be about to rip the film and put it on an illegal streaming site or make the torrent available. There will be some people who would pirate Mulan out of protest.
https://twitter.com/destinationcine/status/1291279337191346177
Disney’s decision has been met with anger from cinema chains outside the US. The UK Cinema Association were critical of the move, calling it “a step backwards rather than forwards” and added that the reaction from cinemas is “hugely disappointing and mistimed.” Kevin Markwick, the owner of the Picture House Uckfield cinema was a lot harsher with his criticisms, whilst an unnamed operator simply said, “it’s a fuck you to exhibitors.’ Gerard Lemoine, the owner of the indie cinema Cinepal in Palaiseau, Paris, went viral when a video of him smashing up a Mulan pop-up display was released online.
Even if the release of Mulan is a flop Disney already have some excuses ready. The first would be anti-China rhetoric due to the COVID outbreak. Although I am of the view that if someone were that anti-Chinese, they wouldn’t have watched Mulan in the first place. The other issue for the film is controversy revolving around the star Liu Yifei. Yifei has been accused of being pro-police during the Hong Kong protests, meaning she has been accused of being pro-Chinese government. There has even been a Twitter hashtag #BoycottMulan. But general audiences are properly unaware of this controversy and their decision will more likely be influenced by the price and their general interest.
It is now a dangerous time for cinema chains and consumers if studios continue to go down this route because it would force us to pay more in the long run.
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