Mulan Coming to Disney+

[Palanan]

…for thirty bucks.

This is described as a “premium rental price,” but I can’t imagine buying this for $30 on top of the Disney+ subscription. Yes, Disney poured money into this project—but given the current situation, it seems optimistic to the point of self-delusion to expect people to spend this kind of money for a single movie.

This is disappointing, since I was really looking forward to this movie, probably more than any other this year. But I certainly can’t justify paying that amount, and I have a feeling I won’t be alone.

[tyckspoon]

From the perspective of 'We're doing this in place of a theater release', it kind of makes sense - you have to assume that rental is either going to be viewed multiple times or it will be viewed by multiple people, so that 'Premium rental cost' should probably be aimed at roughly what Disney would have made as their cut from 4-6 theater tickets - they will be expecting people to have viewing parties or be estimating based on average family size as their planned audience.

Personally, I think that seems like it's still too high a number, but then I also think Disney still significantly overvalues their content and the premium they can charge just by being Disney. They're not that reliably excellent these days (especially with these movie projects) but they want to try to price and sell access at a level that suggests they're still a premier brand for entertainment.

..rental price will probably come down after a month or so anyways, just as the movie would normally trickle down from the first-run event cinemas on into the more discount chains.

[JadedDM]

I mean, it worked out for Trolls 2, didn't it?

[False God]

If $30 dollars could buy me permanent access to it and I could watch it whenever I wanted without using any bandwidth or signing in to some "service", I'd be totally down for this.

But I'll just look at my collection of DVDs and sigh at this impossibility.

[Anymage]

I don't mind this horribly in the current climate, but I do worry long term ramifications. For two reasons.

First, super early access to movies is an okay premium perk, especially nowadays when theaters are not really viable. I do hope it's early access instead of exclusive access, though; having to pay for a subset of content when we're already paying a subscription for the service is a pricey proposition when none of the competitors are really doing that. If Mulan and similar things don't eventually filter down to the free tier, a lot of people will wonder why it's worth keeping D+ when they have to both keep up a sub and pay for new content.

Second, $30 is a huge price for a rental. And while in theory Disney might be expecting lots of people to get together for a watch party, that's a bad idea now for the same reasons that theatrical releases are unwise. Reasonably speaking, people wouldn't be renting it multiple times even if it were closer to a $5 price point and have a limit to how many times they'll rewatch it even if it was a permanent add-on. They'll really want rent vs. buy price planning to be more thought out.

[Psyren]

15-20 would have been more reasonable. And I think Trolls 2's success had more to do with it being a kid's movie and desperate quarantining parents needing something, anything, to keep the little goblins quiet for a few hours.

With that said, I won't mind being proven wrong that this model and price point can succeed, because (a) I hate going to the cinema anyway and (b) Black Widow is going this route too, which I will definitely be paying to see at whatever price point they set.

[JadedDM]

Mulan is a kid's movie, isn't it? Or...did they go the dark and gritty route or something? (I admit, I haven't been paying close attention to its development.)

[Psyren]

Mulan is a kid's movie, isn't it? Or...did they go the dark and gritty route or something? (I admit, I haven't been paying close attention to its development.)

It... uh... just watch the trailer:

[JadedDM]

Huh. PG-13. I would not have seen that coming.

[Ramza00]

If $30 dollars could buy me permanent access to it and I could watch it whenever I wanted without using any bandwidth or signing in to some "service", I'd be totally down for this.

But I'll just look at my collection of DVDs and sigh at this impossibility.

Seems $30 is not the rental price but a permanent copy that is tied to your Disney plus account. Aka you are still paying a monthly fee for Disney plus but the content is then added to your account.

The source for this is business insider which used to be calling it a rental, but issued a retraction after talking again to a Disney representative.

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/m...us-rent-2020-8

So does this make Mulan a direct to dvd movie?

[Lethologica]

So does this make Mulan a direct to dvd movie?

It's paid DLC for their subscription-based MMOTVM (Massively Multiviewer Online TV/Movie) game.

[Chen]

Seems $30 is not the rental price but a permanent copy that is tied to your Disney plus account. Aka you are still paying a monthly fee for Disney plus but the content is then added to your account.

The source for this is business insider which used to be calling it a rental, but issued a retraction after talking again to a Disney representative.

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/m...us-rent-2020-8

So does this make Mulan a direct to dvd movie?

Permanent access is basically buying a DVD of a theatrical release right away. $30 for that is actually pretty reasonable.

[CharonsHelper]

Huh. PG-13. I would not have seen that coming.

It's basically a semi-historical war movie, so PG-13 shouldn't be terribly surprising.

Really, it's more weird that Disney was able to make that premise "G" before, even in a cartoon.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

...okay, $30 to own it seems slightly more reasonable. I still wouldn’t go for it, because I 1.) don’t have Disney+ 2.) don’t want Disney+ and 3.) wasn’t impressed with what I’ve heard they’ve done with the story...but at least it isn’t “laugh out loud you’re crazy” levels of unreasonable...

...although if I’m reading that second article correctly, you still have to maintain your subscription to access the movie you ‘bought’, like MMO DLC. Yeah, no. Definitely not interested.

[Psyren]

It's paid DLC for their subscription-based MMOTVM (Massively Multiviewer Online TV/Movie) game.

Ha!

...okay, $30 to own it seems slightly more reasonable. I still wouldn’t go for it, because I 1.) don’t have Disney+ 2.) don’t want Disney+ and 3.) wasn’t impressed with what I’ve heard they’ve done with the story...but at least it isn’t “laugh out loud you’re crazy” levels of unreasonable...

...although if I’m reading that second article correctly, you still have to maintain your subscription to access the movie you ‘bought’, like MMO DLC. Yeah, no. Definitely not interested.

I mean, up to you if you consider D+ worth it or not, but for me the value proposition (especially with the FX/Hulu/ESPN bundle) was more than enough. And Mandalorian was fantastic.

It's basically a semi-historical war movie, so PG-13 shouldn't be terribly surprising.

Really, it's more weird that Disney was able to make that premise "G" before, even in a cartoon.

Yeah I still remember the army about to execute her on the spot once they found out what she was, and thinking "even if they pulled back from the brink, how the hell is this G rated?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

I mean, up to you if you consider D+ worth it or not, but for me the value proposition (especially with the FX/Hulu/ESPN bundle) was more than enough. And Mandalorian was fantastic.

Pre-pandemic, I might watch TV a total of two weeks out of the year. And then it’s generally at someone else’s house, and because they’re watching it. Even post pandemic, the last actual television program I watched was back in...May I think???

So, not worth it.

Yeah I still remember the army about to execute her on the spot once they found out what she was, and thinking "even if they pulled back from the brink, how the hell is this G rated?"

They might have tweaked what the rating covered since the original came out.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Chen
Permanent access is basically buying a DVD of a theatrical release right away. $30 for that is actually pretty reasonable.

....

I’m surprised how many people seem willing to pay that price. All I can say is, you folks are clearly doing better than many these days. Even in the best of times I would consider that absurdly overpriced.

Originally Posted by Psyren
…Black Widow is going this route too, which I will definitely be paying to see at whatever price point they set.

I have just barely nonzero interest in this movie, so I wouldn’t be paying for it at any likely price point, especially with the Mulan precedent. I’m happy to wait until this finally shows up on TNT.

If it never does, well, at some point it will probably be rolled into the standard Disney+ subscription. I’m patient...I can wait.

Originally Posted by Psyren
…I hate going to the cinema anyway….

Ideally, I’d much rather see something large-scale in the theater, because the cinematography is designed for the big-screen experience. You really need to see Thor in the theater to appreciate the wonders of Asgard. There’s a wealth of detail which can be lost on smaller screens, be it from Pandora, Berk or Wakanda. And the immersive quality of a theater, as well as the meditative space arriving and departing, really makes a difference.

That said, the actual movie experience is often not great. My local theater has weekly matinees which are discounted and usually almost empty, but even then there are issues, and good luck finding someone to fix them. At least at home I can have Thai while I watch.

[Telwar]

I can't say I'm going to pay for it, since I never saw the original, but I wasn't going to see it in the theater.

Now, what happens with Black Widow, which I was going to see in the theater...I dunno. I'd be paying about $15 to see that on my own, plus the snack and drink, so... maybe? I'd miss the group outing aspect of it, but not much that can be helped on that right now.

[Ramza00]

...okay, $30 to own it seems slightly more reasonable. I still wouldn’t go for it, because I 1.) don’t have Disney+ 2.) don’t want Disney+ and 3.) wasn’t impressed with what I’ve heard they’ve done with the story...but at least it isn’t “laugh out loud you’re crazy” levels of unreasonable...

...although if I’m reading that second article correctly, you still have to maintain your subscription to access the movie you ‘bought’, like MMO DLC. Yeah, no. Definitely not interested.

That is a personal call and thus it is always a subjective decision. And you not wanting Disney+ is valid

But let's look at this from another perspective. You already showed intention to buy Mulan for $30s. Such a person who would buy an entire film for 3x$10 dollars would probably also see buying a year of Disney+ for $70 as a value since there is 150 movies always on Disney+ plus all those tv shows. Especially if you have kids.

Disney+ is not for everyone, and that is okay something like 60 million accounts have now sign up for it due to the Pandemic. It was a mere 10 million accounts during its first month of it being active and a little over 25 million for its first 90 days.

-----

Sidenote I am terrified of Disney and Netflix eating the world, but if they are going to eat the world at least at current prices it is digestible. Signed a person who is not subscribed to either due to getting by via Amazon Prime and Youtube

Edit: forgot to mention that Verizon and other companies are giving out free Disney+ bundles when you buy their overpriced cell phone service, internet, etc. So yeah you should google to see if you can get a year of Disney+ for free, even though Disney is eating the world.

[Dienekes]

It's basically a semi-historical war movie, so PG-13 shouldn't be terribly surprising.

Really, it's more weird that Disney was able to make that premise "G" before, even in a cartoon.

It's about a person who probably didn't exist, fighting a war that did not happen at as it's being portrayed, taking a story that was once about shaming male sons into obeying their familiar duty and turning it into a female empowerment tale as she fights against people that seem to run up walls and a witch that turn into birds.

I do not see how any of it can be described as even semi-historical. It's a fantasy. My personal favorite Disney fantasy, but that's about all that can be said about it.

In any case, not gonna pay $30 for it. Don't have Disney+ regardless.

However, saw the trailer. Looks alright. They're going a bit more wuxia than the cartoon. Not really my taste, I liked that the cartoon was pretty grounded, all things considered. I did note that they mention the villain was named Khan. Meaning he is the leader of a Khaganate, not a Hun. Which was one of the weirder pointless changes the cartoon made. Though there's a lot more focus on the witch character, which is an interesting choice. I quite like Shan Yu as a villain with those bits of horrifying charismatic flashes with lines like "How many men does it take to deliver a message?" and "A little girl will be missing her doll." But evil witches for the martial hero to beat up can be fun too.

So all told, not gonna pay $30 for the experience. But I'm interested enough to rent it for a couple bucks at a Red Box or something.

I hate going to the cinema anyway

Cinema is only good to see blockbusters to get the full visual splendor of the scenes. On days where the theater is empty except for you.

Which works fine for me, since I enjoy blockbusters and my days off are in the middle of the week. So I can go see a movie I want to watch early on a Tuesday in a near empty theater.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

....

I’m surprised how many people seem willing to pay that price. All I can say is, you folks are clearly doing better than many these days. Even in the best of times I would consider that absurdly overpriced.

For me personally it IS overpriced (ignore for the moment I wasn’t planning to see it regardless - pretend it’s Black Widow or pre-release Avengers: Endgame), however I’m comparing that price to a family of four getting tickets at the theater (which I’m assuming is Disney’s target audience).

The theater I usually frequent is ~$8-$9 a ticket (if you get a showing before noon) or ~$11-$12 (noon or later). So tickets for a family of four -> anywhere from $32 to $44, and that’s before concessions. Compared to the $37* price tag to Disney+ it, and I can see the PVOD option being a possibility for a family with kids, even if I as an individual can compare that price to the $8+ I would pay for me to go to the theater alone and go “Hah! Yeah right!”

That said, they’re still on the high side; my local stores’ movie prices usually top out in the $25-$30 range, and none of those require a subscription. I presume families who already subscribe to Disney+ will be more likely to consider it.

*I’m including the subscription price in the movie price, because I reason if you’re already subscribed then you’re getting other value from that subscription, at which point it stops being Theater Mulan vs. PVOD Mulan, and starts being Theater Mulan vs. Every Single Disney Movie Ever Made - not really a fair comparison IMO.

[Psyren]

....

I’m surprised how many people seem willing to pay that price. All I can say is, you folks are clearly doing better than many these days. Even in the best of times I would consider that absurdly overpriced.

It probably helps that there are 4 people in my household, so that's less than we would have collectively spent to see it in the theater anyway. If Trolls 2's success is any indication, many other households/families are performing similar calculus.

(And quite frankly, I just want to support a major motion picture with a predominantly asian cast + female protagonist in general.)

I have just barely nonzero interest in this movie, so I wouldn’t be paying for it at any likely price point, especially with the Mulan precedent. I’m happy to wait until this finally shows up on TNT.

If it never does, well, at some point it will probably be rolled into the standard Disney+ subscription. I’m patient...I can wait.

If you're okay dodging spoilers and not understanding memes/references that long, more power to you - but I know my Marvel/superhero-loving timeline would be a minefield. I barely got through Umbrella Academy S2 in time before unmarked bombshells began appearing.

Ideally, I’d much rather see something large-scale in the theater, because the cinematography is designed for the big-screen experience. You really need to see Thor in the theater to appreciate the wonders of Asgard. There’s a wealth of detail which can be lost on smaller screens, be it from Pandora, Berk or Wakanda. And the immersive quality of a theater, as well as the meditative space arriving and departing, really makes a difference.

That said, the actual movie experience is often not great. My local theater has weekly matinees which are discounted and usually almost empty, but even then there are issues, and good luck finding someone to fix them. At least at home I can have Thai while I watch.

Putting aside that I like my TV, I can eat whatever I want, get wasted, pause to use the bathroom, rewind etc. If I had to point to one silver lining of this pandemic, movie theaters losing their iron grip on major movie releases would definitely be at or near the top of that list.

[tomandtish]

Seems $30 is not the rental price but a permanent copy that is tied to your Disney plus account. Aka you are still paying a monthly fee for Disney plus but the content is then added to your account.

The source for this is business insider which used to be calling it a rental, but issued a retraction after talking again to a Disney representative.

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/m...us-rent-2020-8

So does this make Mulan a direct to dvd movie?

Permanent access is basically buying a DVD of a theatrical release right away. $30 for that is actually pretty reasonable.

...okay, $30 to own it seems slightly more reasonable. I still wouldn’t go for it, because I 1.) don’t have Disney+ 2.) don’t want Disney+ and 3.) wasn’t impressed with what I’ve heard they’ve done with the story...but at least it isn’t “laugh out loud you’re crazy” levels of unreasonable...

...although if I’m reading that second article correctly, you still have to maintain your subscription to access the movie you ‘bought’, like MMO DLC. Yeah, no. Definitely not interested.

As Kareeah points out, you're paying $30 for continued access AS LONG AS you remain a Disney + subscriber.

So despite what anyone may say or call it, you aren't purchasing the movie. You're paying $30 to have a rental with a duration tied to your Disney + subscription.

To compare, I can buy videos on Amazon. I don't have to be an Amazon Prime subscriber to be able to watch them.

Now here's a really interesting question. Suppose I let my Disney + subscription lapse. Would Mulan still be there if i renewed it months or years later?

[Ramza00]

As Kareeah points out, you're paying $30 for continued access AS LONG AS you remain a Disney + subscriber.

So despite what anyone may say or call it, you aren't purchasing the movie. You're paying $30 to have a rental with a duration tied to your Disney + subscription.

To compare, I can buy videos on Amazon. I don't have to be an Amazon Prime subscriber to be able to watch them.

Now here's a really interesting question. Suppose I let my Disney + subscription lapse. Would Mulan still be there if i renewed it months or years later?

Most likely yes, for most online services allow you to keep your username even if you cancel the service. But we will see.

Regardless I bet we will still see Mulan on Amazon and iTunes, so on and so on. Just a question of how many months or a year delay. Who knows though in 10 years with whatever future Disney remake such as The Black Cauldron when the media market is completely different. (We are in a transition period, right now, I seriously doubt that Mulan will not be available for purchase else where for Wall Street likes gradual transitions vs abrupt and quick change which makes Wall Street nervous.)

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Now here's a really interesting question. Suppose I let my Disney + subscription lapse. Would Mulan still be there if i renewed it months or years later?

Now that is an interesting question, because they’ve cut things out of Disney+ before haven’t they? I can easily see them following the MMO model to its end and start slapping “LIMITED TIME! 5d 36min before Little Mermaid goes back into the Vault!” on subscription-covered things so subscribers have to pay again to ‘keep’ whatever gets the axe.

[Lemmy]

I wouldn't pay even 10 for a Disney live action remake... Nevermind 30!

The price, in addition to continous removal and censorship of existing material is why I don't bother with Disney+.

[Psyren]

Now that is an interesting question, because they’ve cut things out of Disney+ before haven’t they? I can easily see them following the MMO model to its end and start slapping “LIMITED TIME! 5d 36min before Little Mermaid goes back into the Vault!” on subscription-covered things so subscribers have to pay again to ‘keep’ whatever gets the axe.

Eh, even if they do that (and why would they, since they own the properties in question so there isn't any need for a temporary streaming deal) - they would just rotate them back in again at some point.

Most likely yes, for most online services allow you to keep your username even if you cancel the service. But we will see.

Your username for Disney+ is an email address rather than a username, so it's pretty unlikely that you'll lose access to that.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Eh, even if they do that (and why would they, since they own the properties in question so there isn't any need for a temporary streaming deal) - they would just rotate them back in again at some point.

The ‘why’ is unfortunately relevant: $$$. Something that Disney needs a lot of after this year. Why wouldn’t they try to get people to buy a thing twice if people are willing to pay? ESO does it all the time.

[Ramza00]

I wouldn't pay even 10 for a Disney live action remake... Nevermind 30!

The price, in addition to continous removal and censorship of existing material is why I don't bother with Disney+.

What censorship?

[Psyren]

The ‘why’ is unfortunately relevant: $$$. Something that Disney needs a lot of after this year. Why wouldn’t they try to get people to buy a thing twice if people are willing to pay? ESO does it all the time.

How would putting something back in the vault make people pay twice? Like Steam, they'd keep a record of anything you paid for. In fact, I'd wager that the premium content would stay available to those who bought it even after it's no longer available for purchase.