[European Times] The Disney movie "Mulan" starring the well-known Chinese actress Liu Yifei has attracted the attention of fans all over the world since the film was released. Although the movie's release date has been postponed many times due to the epidemic, with the gradual opening of cinemas in many countries, fans are eager to see the release of this new film.
However, the final news is that the film will be screened online through the Disney+ media platform. This not only disappointed movie fans, but also made the movie theaters already hit by the epidemic worse. Many European countries, including the United Kingdom, are in the scope of online screening. Many film industry insiders criticized that this is to "push the cinema to a dead end."
The picture shows the poster of "Mulan" in Chinese. (Image source: Disney Movies official Weibo)
European film industry expressed disappointment
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that the British Film Association said it was "very disappointed" that "Mulan" will be shown online in the UK. Association President Phil Clapp said: “For many people, this is a step backward, not an improvement.”
Many movie theaters in the UK have been open since July. With many movies being delayed, movie theaters have been waiting for the audience. return. Phil Clapp said that in this case, Disney's decision will disappoint many people, and the timing is not right.
The picture shows a movie theater closed in London, England during the epidemic. (Photo source: Xinhua News Agency)
According to the American Hollywood News website Deadline, the European Union of International Cinemas (UNIC), as an association representing the European Union's film industry, also criticized the online release of "Mulan". On August 5, UNIC issued a statement stating: "New films must be screened in cinemas first. Although the distributor has always emphasized that'we are all together', it is clear from recent events that such remarks have not been acted upon. The
statement also stated that, compared to any time before, the entire industry’s decision-making needs to be considered from a long-term perspective. If our partners provide new film content after the American film industry recovers from the crisis, it will be too late for many European cinemas and their staff.
Currently, about 40% of movie theaters in the UK have reopened, but the box office is not satisfactory. The box office last weekend was only 3% of the same period last year. In other European countries, the situation is similar. The entire film industry is waiting for a blockbuster to stimulate the recovery of the film industry. Among them, "Mulan" is one of the movies with high hopes. As the latest major production film costing as much as 200 million US dollars, it was predicted that its box office revenue would exceed 1 billion US dollars.
In July, the whole territory of Germany resumed allowing cinemas to open. The picture shows a movie fan walking out of the Berlin Cultural Brewery Cinema after buying tickets on July 5. (Image source: China News Service)
kicked the movie theater out of the market.
commentators said that the change of "Mulan" may become a turning point in the competition between movie theaters and online broadcasting platforms.
British "Guardian" reported that Hollywood films are using the epidemic period to test the first online distribution model. Previously, they were all low-cost movies, or movies with low expectations, "Mulan" was the first blockbuster film.
On March 10, the world premiere of "Mulan" was held in Los Angeles. The picture starring Liu Yifei at the premiere. (Image source: Disney Movies official Weibo )
Although Disney CEO Bob Chapek wanted to downplay this, calling it a "one-off" event rather than a permanent strategic change, he also admitted that he hopes to pass the experiment See the feasibility of the new form.
The British "Daily Telegraph" analyzed that Disney's move did not give the audience a choice, but directly kicked the cinema out of the market.
Regarding the choice of online screening, Bob Chapek said it will benefit those who cannot go to the cinema yet. But in fact, New Zealand, which lifted the ban two months ago, is also on the list of countries that will be screened online. Not to mention the British film industry, waiting for a blockbuster film, was chosen by Disney as the "test field."
And in countries where the film industry is not mature enough, Hollywood is always neededMovies help the industry recover. At this time, Disney will tell the movie theater: bear with me, I want to see if we still need you.
The British "Daily Telegraph News" reported that Disney converted "Mulan" to online screening, acting as if it wanted our cinema to be completely finished. (Image source: website screenshot)
(Editor: Gu Yan)
