Disney’s Mulan hit with bad reviews in China as pirated copies circulate online ahead of theatrical release
- Chinese viewers who watched Mulan online blast the film for being bland and mishandling Chinese culture
- China is a crucial market for the success of Disney’s US$200 million live-action remake of the hit 1998 animated film
“It’s like that feeling when you go to a Western Chinese restaurant and have a pretty weird Chinese meal,” one user said of the new Mulan on Q&A site Zhihu.
Mulan is the latest live-action remake from Disney, which has been adapting its hit animated films. But this one was supposed to be a less Westernised version of the tale it told in the 1998 animated musical by the same name, which follows a woman who disguises herself as a man to join the army in her sickly father’s stead. The animated version also failed to take off in China.
With a budget of US$200 million, Mulan is one of Disney’s most expensive live-action remakes and the most expensive film ever directed by a woman. Disney was betting on it being a big hit in theatres before the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in months of delays. The company finally released the film on its Disney+ streaming service in some markets this past weekend. For an additional US$30 on top of the subscription price of US$7 per month, viewers can watch the film at home.
Pirated copies ripped straight from Disney+ are already widely available in China. Some people are also watching overseas and weighing in on the Chinese review site Douban.
Mulan already has more than 50,000 reviews on the site, but the rating is a paltry 4.8 out of 10. Nearly 90 per cent of users who submitted reviews gave it three stars or less out of five. Reviewers blasted the movie for having flat characters and a bland story with details that don’t make sense. Many people also appeared unsatisfied with how the film handles certain Chinese cultural elements.
