It’ll Cost You $30 to See ‘Mulan’ on Disney+ as Film Won’t Be Shown in Many Theaters

While movie theaters have been anxiously waiting to make money again with the help of the release of Disney’s “Mulan” unfortunately it will only be arriving in theaters that do not have launch plans for Disney+.

“Mulan” will be airing on Disney+ on Sept. 4 for $29.99 as Disney announced on Tuesday that it has decided to launch the much-anticipated “Mulan” as a premium add-on to its Disney+ service. The move made it so that any country where Disney+ is present would not get a theatrical release of the film.

“With cinemas across the U.K. now continuing to reopen and welcome back their customers, the decision by Walt Disney Studios yesterday to put ‘Mulan’ on their Disney+ service and not into cinemas will be seen by many as hugely disappointing and mistimed,” Phil Clapp, chief executive at the U.K. Cinema Association, said.

“Mulan” will likely reach Chinese viewers in theaters and was expected to do big business for Disney in China during its initial slated release back in March.

“For many [movie theaters] this will seem a step backwards rather than forward,” Clapp said.

Every exhibitor I have contact with feels like this is a sucker punch to the gut…” Doug Stone, president of Box Office Analyst, said.

“I completely understand Disney’s move as there are certainly carrying costs in continually delaying ‘Mulan’ into the future,” he said. “The only real options left in theatrical would be to move it to the next holiday period, November, and there is no guarantee that enough theaters would be open by then to justify putting it out then. Besides that would mean reshuffling their release schedule yet again.”

The film was expected to exceed $1 billion at the global box office.

Shares of Disney soared as much as 10% on Wednesday.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) and have not been compensated for this article.