This week UK cinemas are getting their biggest boost in a long time – the belated arrival of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, sure to bring swathes of audiences back to the big screen for a brain-frazzling dollop of time inversion. But while some of the year’s blockbusters are finally making it into cinemas, another is ploughing ahead with a more experimental digital release. Disney has shifted its live-action Mulan movie from picturehouses to its Disney+ streaming service – but it’s not included in the main subscription. No, it’s being categorised as something called ‘Premier Access’, and will require an additional payment.
It’s now confirmed that Mulan will cost £19.99 above and beyond the monthly Disney+ fee in the UK. But compared to the ‘Home Premiere’ rentals like The Invisible Man and The Hunt that arrived at the start of lockdown, which cost £16 for a 48-hour watching period, Disney+ users who pay extra for Mulan will be able to watch it as many times as they like, as long as their Disney+ account remains active. The film will be available from 4 September, and will stream in Ultra-HD, with HDR and Dolby Audio. It will be available to US audiences on the same day for $29.99.
Directed by Niki Caro, Mulan tells the Chinese legend of a young woman warrior who disguised herself as a man in order to save her elderly father from being conscripted. The film stars Liu Yifei in the title role, with Donnie Yen and Jet Li also among the cast. Where the 1998 animated version included Eddie Murphy wisecracks and a handful of (very catchy) songs, Disney’s latest live-action re-do is opting for a more historical-epic feel (with a fantastical edge, still). We’ll find out if it still gets down to business when it hits Disney+ on 4 September.