Disney’s Mulan likely to bomb in China. Hit by coronavirus, boycotts and controversy, Liu Yifei film fails to inspire audiences
- Mulan has been mired in bad reviews, boycotts, a cancelled cinematic release and poor presales figures
- Disney’s most expensive live-action remake has also been accused of mishandling Chinese culture
Disney’s Mulan has racked up dismal advance ticket sales for its opening day in China, making it likely that the live-action remake will bomb at mainland box office.
According to China’s largest film ticketing app Maoyan, as of this morning, advance ticket sales for the opening day (September 11) of Mulan amounted to only 2.1 million yuan (US$307,000) after one day of presale. Maoyan estimates the eventual opening-day box office for the film to be 2.3 million yuan.
This is a particularly poor figure when compared to the presales takings of two recent hit movies: mainland-made World War II epic The Eight Hundred and time-travelling romance Love You Forever.
According to Maoyan, Love You Forever racked up 140 million yuan for advance ticket sales for the opening day. The film took in 250 million yuan its opening day, which coincided with Chinese Valentine’s Day.
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The Eight Hundred, made 27 million yuan in advance ticket sales and 130 million yuan in total for the opening day (August 21).