Disney World Pricing, No Mulan Theatrical Release?

[the.dreamfinder]

VOD has a while to go before it is the definitive future.

Pre COVID VOD was the best it was going to get. Small indie films that couldn’t get screens because their distributors didn’t have the clout to get them into multiplexes and specialty cinemas was the reality. The economics to do this with Hollywood releases doesn’t make sense. Heck, it is widely understood Netflix took a major loss on “The Irishman” between refusing to do a wide theatrical release to get it on Netflix as fast as possible and spending over $200 million on it, excluding marketing.

These things cost too much and the most efficient way to make money back is for consumers to spend more to see it at release and cut back the cost over time, through pay windows. What’s not discussed about “Trolls” and “SCOOB” is that the current circumstance have killed their home video and rental windows because they effectively became the theatrical window. So now they only have that and SVOD/Premium Cable and Cable/Broadcast TV going forward. That’s cut your losses money, not new business model money.

 

[WDW Pro]

Text book how fake narratives and/or tropes get started.

Seeing this and the members who liked it just makes me smile for some reason.

 

[jt04]

Seeing this and the members who liked it just makes me smile for some reason.

I thought it was being released on Disney+ this year to help promote the service and increase profits.

But you just believe all the conspiracies you need to believe. Next time can you put those in chit chat? Thank you.

 

[WDW Pro]

I thought it was being released on Disney+ this year to help promote the service and increase profits.

But you just believe all the conspiracies you need to believe. Next time can you put those in chit chat? Thank you.

Not a problem, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps you did not know that killing a theatrical release almost certainly simultaneously meant releasing on Disney Plus. Thus when I posted a thread stating that Disney was likely to kill the theatrical release, you described it in a way you would no longer given that you now understand Disney plus is not a theatrical release.

 

[rowrbazzle]

I thought it was being released on Disney+ this year to help promote the service and increase profits.

But you just believe all the conspiracies you need to believe. Next time can you put those in chit chat? Thank you.

Yes. That's what was predicted in the linked article and that prediction turned out to be true. Bully for Michael Nathonson! The follow-up notion about moving the release date out a year for political reasons appears to be unfounded.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Armchair executiving (is that a word? lol) here - 'Mulan' went VOD, but they are still sticking with "The New Mutants" and "Black Widow" as theatrical releases at the moment. So either they have research that audiences have soured on 'Mulan' and figure VOD is their best bet to make any money on it (VOD = $$ now), or there's something else going on with the VOD release that no one else is seeing/talking about right now. Either way, I wasn't and am not going to spend a dime on it.

Not a problem, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps you did not know that killing a theatrical release almost certainly simultaneously meant releasing on Disney Plus. Thus when I posted a thread stating that Disney was likely to kill the theatrical release, you described it in a way you would no longer given that you now understand Disney plus is not a theatrical release.

I think he's well past anyone giving him any benefit of the doubt these days.

 

[WDW Pro]

Armchair executiving (is that a word? lol) here - 'Mulan' went VOD, but they are still sticking with "The New Mutants" and "Black Widow" as theatrical releases at the moment. So either they have research that audiences have soured on 'Mulan' and figure VOD is their best bet to make any money on it (VOD = $$ now), or there's something else going on with the VOD release that no one else is seeing/talking about right now. Either way, I wasn't and am not going to spend a dime on it.



I think he's well past anyone giving him any benefit of the doubt these days.

You nailed it. Mulan is not being treated like their other planned film releases.

 

[Jedijax719]

Could've been worse from a movie perspective. COVID-19 could have hit last year leaving Disney to figure out what to do with all of those films.

 

[danlb_2000]

Armchair executiving (is that a word? lol) here - 'Mulan' went VOD, but they are still sticking with "The New Mutants" and "Black Widow" as theatrical releases at the moment. So either they have research that audiences have soured on 'Mulan' and figure VOD is their best bet to make any money on it (VOD = $$ now), or there's something else going on with the VOD release that no one else is seeing/talking about right now. Either way, I wasn't and am not going to spend a dime on it.



I think he's well past anyone giving him any benefit of the doubt these days.

I am really surprised New Mutants didn't go right to Disney+.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I am really surprised New Mutants didn't go right to Disney+.

Of the three movies I named, I totally agree, that's the one I'm surprised didn't go directly to Disney+.

 

[CJR]

Funny question for those who might know. I read the news as it's being released on Disney+ for a premium, in addition to any theater willing to show it. Is this correct?

There are some theaters open around the country so in that case, they might still be showing it there. Not that I believe people will be rushing out to see it right now, but the point is that they might still have the option in areas.

I don't imagine box office gross will be good for any movie for some time but I'd love to be wrong.

 

[danlb_2000]

Funny question for those who might know. I read the news as it's being released on Disney+ for a premium, in addition to any theater willing to show it. Is this correct?

There are some theaters open around the country so in that case, they might still be showing it there. Not that I believe people will be rushing out to see it right now, but the point is that they might still have the option in areas.

I don't imagine box office gross will be good for any movie for some time but I'd love to be wrong.

Yes, the articles have said it will get a limited theatrical release. I think doing that would also get them in Oscar contention.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

Yes, the articles have said it will get a limited theatrical release. I think doing that would also get them in Oscar contention.

Definitely for a academy award since they changed the rule for this year.
“Movies released through streaming services will still be eligible for Academy Awards. Movies that skipped the theaters and went straight to streaming services will still be eligible for the Academy Awards, but only for this year”.

 

[kong1802]

Yes. That's what was predicted in the linked article and that prediction turned out to be true. Bully for Michael Nathonson! The follow-up notion about moving the release date out a year for political reasons appears to be unfounded.

The original prediction was "Disney scared of Mulan's political reception, will move it out a year at least"

What happened : Disney decided they didn't want to wait for theaters to open (exact opposite of the claim), so are using it to release now and possibly start a new revenue stream with this being the first one.

Conclusion: Prediction was crazy wrong. Prediction saw 1 year delay vs what happened of an earlier release.

I mean, given the frozen 2 shenanigans not sure what people expected, lol.

 

[corran horn]

I am really surprised New Mutants didn't go right to Disney+.

Until it doesn't it still might.

See also: Artemis Fowl

 

[Quinnmac000]

I am really surprised New Mutants didn't go right to Disney+.

Fox contract is why it can't. Same thing with West Side Story.

 

[doctornick]

You nailed it. Mulan is not being treated like their other planned film releases.

Not sure I agree. Completely different circumstances for each film.

For Black Widow, the reality is they'd be losing a crapload of (potential) money by not releasing to theaters. I really don't think Disney will have a problem pushing back all the Marvel films (or releasing them closer together) as long as they all get their time in the theater. With Captain Marvel already being a billion dollar film and Black Widow being an established and well liked character, I suspect they have lofty expectations for the film that they known VOD cannot meet.

New Mutants being a Fox film seems to have some rights issues. HBO owns the streaming rights to Fox films (for now) which would likely preclude VOD as an option. Probably the only way for Disney to make much of anything on the film is by doing a theater release and it's already been pushed back for years so... what's another half a year or year or whatever. Also, as it is a "horror" type film, it likely wouldn't be seen as appropriate for Disney+ -- maybe (if they have the rights to even do it) they'd do something similar through Hulu though.

Honestly, I think among upcoming films, the best comp for Mulan is Soul. If Mulan's release is successful, I could see Soul being distributed the same way. And there's has at least been some hints about it going on Disney+ right away but a setup like Mulan would make a lot of sense. We'll see.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You nailed it. Mulan is not being treated like their other planned film releases.

I don’t think they thought it was going to make a large box office...so it made a good candidate for a direct release anyway

 

[WDW Pro]

I don’t think they thought it was going to make a large box office...so it made a good candidate for a direct release anyway

I think it was never going to be released in theaters since at least May, I was tipped off about it, reported it, was booed by the boo birds of the forum, and then was right yet again four months later.

 

[threvester]

Not sure I agree. Completely different circumstances for each film.

For Black Widow, the reality is they'd be losing a crapload of (potential) money by not releasing to theaters. I really don't think Disney will have a problem pushing back all the Marvel films (or releasing them closer together) as long as they all get their time in the theater. With Captain Marvel already being a billion dollar film and Black Widow being an established and well liked character, I suspect they have lofty expectations for the film that they known VOD cannot meet.

New Mutants being a Fox film seems to have some rights issues. HBO owns the streaming rights to Fox films (for now) which would likely preclude VOD as an option. Probably the only way for Disney to make much of anything on the film is by doing a theater release and it's already been pushed back for years so... what's another half a year or year or whatever. Also, as it is a "horror" type film, it likely wouldn't be seen as appropriate for Disney+ -- maybe (if they have the rights to even do it) they'd do something similar through Hulu though.

Honestly, I think among upcoming films, the best comp for Mulan is Soul. If Mulan's release is successful, I could see Soul being distributed the same way. And there's has at least been some hints about it going on Disney+ right away but a setup like Mulan would make a lot of sense. We'll see.

if HBO owns the streaming rights to the Fox films, why are all the xmen movies and Avatar on Disney+?