MULAN To Premiere on Disney+, Bypass U.S. Theaters

[AndyDursin]

Disney waiving the white flag.

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/disney ... 234725409/

[Monterey Jack]

Disney kneecapping theaters at their most desperate hour of need.

[Paul MacLean]

Disney kneecapping theaters at their most desperate hour of need.

As the saying goes, "that's showbiz".

[mkaroly]

Not surprising though - and if they aren't releasing a new film in theaters, I imagine all the other studios will follow suit.

[Monterey Jack]

Not surprising though - and if they aren't releasing a new film in theaters, I imagine all the other studios will follow suit.

I can see Christopher Nolan burning the negatives to Tenet before he allows it to premiere on VOD.

[mkaroly]

Maybe...but if no theater will carry it and if the studio then mandates a VOD release, unless he has a lot of power to override it he may have no choice or say in it. I guess we will see soon enough!

[AndyDursin]

Warner is going to indulge Nolan as much as it can but he doesn't have the power to burn the negative. He might have enough pull to tell them not to release it on VOD -- but ultimately it's their money, not his, that's at stake, so unless there's language in the contract, Warner can do whatever they want. Obviously they won't want to cross one of their main talents, though, but still you wonder if there's going to be a limit to their patience. Sounds like they were going to release TENET overseas and "in stages" in the U.S., which of course will enable spoilers to run free all over the internet even if you don't want to see them (not to mention trigger piracy concerns).

I still feel everything's in flux. I wouldn't be surprised at all if WONDER WOMAN 1984 ends up on HBO Max if there's no national window, especially since it's been delayed a handful of times already. If the movie itself isn't anything special, it might be time to unload it.

[Paul MacLean]

I can see Christopher Nolan burning the negatives to Tenet before he allows it to premiere on VOD.

I wish he'd burn the negatives for Dunkirk instead!

[Monterey Jack]

Thanks Disney, you killed theaters.

[mkaroly]

I can see Christopher Nolan burning the negatives to Tenet before he allows it to premiere on VOD.

I wish he'd burn the negatives for Dunkirk instead!

Lol!

[AndyDursin]

Agreed on that. Watching it a second time that movie is a total dog in terms of story and narrative. All technical wizardry, nothing supporting it at all.

[AndyDursin]

Worth noting MULAN is going to cost you $30 on top of the subscription to view. That seems a bit much, but then again, this is the highest-profile movie yet to test the direct-to-demand waters. If Warner could price SCOOB at $20 (as Universal did for TROLLS), Disney might be able to get away with a higher fee for what was supposed to be their big spring release.

[Monterey Jack]

(naturally, some are calling this "racist" because it's a white man destroying the image of an Asian woman. )

[Paul MacLean]

Article on the cinema proprietor...

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/frenc ... 234578541/

[Monterey Jack]

I'm totally on that theater owner's side. With one fell swoop, Disney has done potentially irreparable damage to movie theaters worldwide. This isn't "racist" or a "tantrum", it's showing just how desperate theater owners and employees are for fresh content, and how one of the biggest studios in the world just stuck a shiv in their backs after promising a theatrical rollout for months and months. I would be infuriated too.