It’s well known that the live-action Mulan movie has been highly anticipated since it’s expected release date in March of this year, but since the onset of COVID-19 things in the entertainment industry have been changing in a big way and one of those is how certain movies have been released and how various studios are attempting to unleash their big guns when it comes to blockbuster movies that should have been the highlights of the year. In the case of Mulan, it would appear that Disney is tired of waiting and will be unveiling the movie both in the theaters and on Disney+, for a fee of course. For those that already have the streaming service, it’s obvious that they’ve received a great deal since one can pay a low monthly rate to receive the many different movies and shows that Disney has to offer and enjoy hours upon hours of programming that can keep most people sufficiently entertained. But being asked to pay another $30 for Mulan when Disney releases it, is dividing a lot of viewers as to whether the opportunity is worth it or not. When looking at what the cost would be in a theater it’s not such a bad deal since the cost of a ticket for more than one person and the added cost of concessions after that would be two or three times what a person might pay when walking into a theater to watch Mulan. But for $30 an individual that already has the Disney+ service could purchase Mulan and stream it whenever they want so long as they continue their subscription. That’s not such a bad deal really in the long run, but for many people, it’s still a little hard to think about forking over the money for a movie that’s still planning to make its way into the theaters.
From one standpoint it feels as though Disney is attempting to get the best it can from both angles, especially considering that so many other movies have been postponed for months or even until next year. But from another stance, it feels more as though they’re simply trying to get their money’s worth. The problem with this of course is that the initial $30 is something that many people might balk at in a big way since things are tight for many people at this time and movies aren’t exactly a priority. Plus, the idea that the movie might still come out if theaters continue to open makes this appear as a rather shady move on the part of Disney to up their profits in a rough time. The move was a surprising one on Disney’s part as a lot of people have already stated, and there are at least a few people out there that are firmly against the price of the movie, and it does feel that for as many people who might happily purchase the movie, there are many who won’t and will be likely to wait for Mulan to join the roster a couple of months or so down the line. If anyone’s doubting that this will happen eventually then they’ve likely forgotten the turnaround rate for movies these days, and the fact that with the pandemic still going that streaming networks really need to keep finding ways to keep their subscribers.
It might have been too great of a loss for Disney to take simply to transfer Mulan to VOD or streaming, but at the same time, it would have likely pulled in more subscribers. There will probably be plenty of people that will end up paying for the movie to have it on their subscription, but the sad thing is that should they find any reason to cancel it, that $30 will essentially be wasted since it will have gone to a movie they don’t even get to keep without the subscription. Right now this is a personal matter as to whether one wants to spend the extra money on the movie or if they want to wait for it to come to streaming, which likely won’t be that long since movies not making it to theaters are running out of options as a lot of theaters are continuing to keep their doors closed and streaming is pushing ahead as usual. At one point it might make a lot of sense to try and bump up subscription numbers by adding hit movies to the networks, rather than allow them to languish where they are without anyone being able to see them. The $30 charge for Mulan isn’t entirely indefensible, but it’s a bit extraneous at this point since people are already having a tough time in many areas trying to pay their bills. On one hand it could be a fun movie and worth less than it would take to go to the movies, but on the other hand, that kind of money for a movie coming to a streaming network is kind of silly.
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