Walt Disney Studios has been enjoying a string of smash hits that have spawned from live-action versions of their animated classics. This has led to updated versions of films like The Lion King, The Jungle Book and Cinderella finding audiences in a new generation. And the trend isn’t going to stop any time soon, especially if Disney keeps finding the critical and commercial success that so far has greeted these endeavors.
In a few weeks, Niki Caro’s live-action Mulan will test the waters are theaters, breathing new life into the 1998 story of a daughter who poses as a soldier to fight in China’s army to spare her ailing parent. The movie recently began screening for press, and the initial reactions to Mulan seem very positive.
Let’s kick off with Erik Davis of Fandango, who states:
Collider Video’s Wendy Lee Szany also calls it a “great re-telling” of the original film, adding:
Angie Han of Mashable addresses the lack of music that might have concerned some fans, saying:
In fact, you have to dig pretty deep to find any Tweets with negative reactions to Niki Caro’s Mulan, as most praise the film’s heart, epic battle choreography, and sense of faith to the original animated feature that many grew up on.
This bodes very well for the potential box office of Mulan for Walt Disney Studios, even though the company has to be concerned with the effects of the global Coronavirus, and how that could prevent patrons from attending screenings… particularly in China. We don’t yet have full statistics for how the disease is affecting box office performance, but Disney’s decision to push ahead with the release of Mulan, and not delay the film’s opening like James Bond’s No Time To Die, shows a level of confidence in the movie’s ability to perform in the market.
Look for Niki Caro’s Mulan when it rides into theaters on March 27. And to stay up to date on all of this year’s releases, bookmark our 2020 release calendar, and check it often.
