Voices of doom for movie theaters appeared to gain some substantial ammunition in the past week.
It’s the first major tentpole film to pivot to what’s essentially a VOD release.
Some viewMulan’s move as a sign that even would-be blockbusters are no longer bound to the theatrical experience.
‘Mulan’.Disney
After all, Disneyrepeatedly postponed the filmin vain hopes that a theatrical run might be possible sometime in 2020.
Now, the studio has apparently surrendered.
Disney’s move isn’t quite a referendum on movie theaters, however.
Indeed, other Disney tentpoles could well followMulanto the streamer before the year is out.
(Disney cited Chapek’s remarks when asked for further comment.)
No other studio is playing quite the same game as Disney.
Other creatives, including Apatow andAn American Pickle’sSeth Rogen, accepted the new reality without much hesitation.
“So then as soon as coronavirus stuff happened, it was pretty easy to reconcile.")
And it won’t be easy to tear that theatrical model down.
“I don’t think it’s going away.”
Additional reporting by Clark Collis.
