The continued effects of the Coronavirus pandemic have seen the theatrical release schedule completely decimated, with no clear end in sight for when business will even come anywhere close to returning to normal. We’ve already seen the studios try to adapt on the fly by releasing movies on digital just weeks after they launched in theaters, while countless others were simply yanked from the calendar altogether and sent straight to VOD.
Following yesterday’s news that Mulan was set to debut exclusively on Disney Plus after the Mouse House had delayed the theatrical release of the highly-anticipated live-action remake indefinitely, we could be on the verge of another shift in the industry’s business model as Hollywood ventures into uncharted territory by trying to turn a profit with their big budget output while doors remain locked on their biggest money-spinners for the foreseeable future.
Of course, once the news that Mulan was heading straight to streaming broke, the very patient people that are the fans who have been waiting for The New Mutants for years decided to enter the conversation. After all, Mulan has only been delayed from March to September, while Fox’s final X-Men movie was originally set to be released in April 2018.
Understandably, some of these long-suffering fans have taken issue with the Mulan announcement when the future of The New Mutants still hasn’t been resolved, with the mutant spinoff tentatively penciled in for a theatrical release the week before Mulan arrives on digital, and you can check out some of the reactions below.
Black Widow and The New Mutants wondering if they’re next after Mulan: pic.twitter.com/trguiQebeT
— Brian is a clown in the West (@brianNpikachu) August 4, 2020
Where is new mutants, Disney? pic.twitter.com/E8YW2WKSl1
— ? ˗ˏˋ???????ˊˎ˗ ? (@EVANGELBRAT) August 4, 2020
Mulan going to Disney+ before New Mutants is going to baffle me for a while
— rachel leishman (@RachelLeishman) August 4, 2020
One day New Mutants will come out….just how new will they be tho???? pic.twitter.com/qGeEO3tmFs
— The “Gold” Comics Pals (@TheComicsPals) August 4, 2020
I'll pay $30 for New Mutants
— SmashMike (@Mikelennial) August 4, 2020
Disney bouta release The New Mutants on Disney Plus for $1,000
— Rasika A.W. ? (@thelovelypossum) August 4, 2020
Will anyone ever see New Mutants unless it’s added to Disney Plus? I don’t know. pic.twitter.com/sMYrWYbdNL
— Shamar English (@english_shamar) August 4, 2020
I’m fine with that tbh. Give me New Mutants and Black Widow there as well
— Kim (@RizaHawkeye83) August 4, 2020
Bro, if New Mutants gets pushed back for the 10th time.. pic.twitter.com/tKZDIbHJcb
— ????? (@DeedraGotHands) August 4, 2020
You know, if I’m #Disneyland & I have all these parking lots that are going unused during the pandemic, I would consider changing them into drive-ins for now. Show the movies you can’t in theaters. I’d pay $30 to watch New Mutants, Mulan, & Black Widow in that form. Just saying. pic.twitter.com/icY8LTMZ7t
— Nerdalorian (@Nerduoso) August 4, 2020
After all the setbacks faced by The New Mutants, fans have come to brace themselves for the worst anytime the movie finds itself in the headlines, but even with a $200 million epic like Mulan heading straight to streaming, the troubled production is still legally obligated to screen in theaters before it can even be considered for Disney Plus. As such, it likely won’t be available for home viewing for a while yet.
