The only problem is, Mulan didn't actually make $261 million in 12 days. Yahoo had misinterpreted numbers from an analytics firm that estimated Mulan's viewership, and the firm's co-founder clarified that grosses were more likely $60 million to $90 million—well below the movie's reported budget of $200 million.
The film had a traditional theatrical release in countries without Disney+ where theaters had re-opened. Due to its overall limited theatrical release as a result of the pandemic, the film grossed $69.9 million at the box office against a production budget of $200 million.
Disney wanted to keep the authenticity of the original animation film, but at the same time, make the movie look real. Clearly, it did not work out. Purely moving the make-ups and costume from the animation characters onto the real people makes the whole film look very unnatural and provide a sense of violation.
The film's mainland China debut was considered a failure not just because it missed analysts' expectations, but also because Disney had poured five years and $200 million into the film, in part, to ensure it appealed to a Chinese audience.
What was the controversy with the live action Mulan?
The issue was that Mulan was partially filmed in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, in close proximity to detention camps for Uighur Muslims, and Disney gave credit to “publicity department of CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomy Region Committee” among other entities.
The cinematography is great and the colors are often vibrant, but the story is pretty dull. The lead actress is awfully bland as well. The action and music are standouts, but get bogged down by some pacing issues. My biggest issue with this film though is Mulan herself.
Disney's classic 'Mulan' flopped in China because audiences didn't think the heroine looked Chinese enough. Although Mulan is the only Disney Princess of East Asian descent, the original Mulan cartoon was a massive flop in China.
Unfortunately for fans of this princess, Mulan II did terribly. Critics regarded the film as a huge disrespect to the original Mulan. This discouraged Disney from pursuing her story any further, so Mulan III was shelved and Ana Ming never made it anywhere.
Why was the animated Mulan movie not well received in China? - Quora. It was a combination of factors, which can be summed up to three points: collateral damage for Kundun, the limited release, and the foreign-looking story.
Mulan has now been released on Disney+, but protesters have been calling for a boycott of the movie. The boycott stems from actress Liu Yifei's public support of the Hong Kong police. Liu first revealed her support for the police during Hong Kong's pro-democracy and anti-police brutality protests in 2019.
Though the director shared that Mushu was removed to allow Mulan to better enhance her relationships with her fellow soldiers, his absence may have also been more about not offending viewers, who found Mushu to be insensitive in the 1998 animated feature.
For instance, a specific discrepancy in the original film is regarding Mulan's family name. It was changed from what it is commonly known as “Hua” in Chinese households to “Fa” in the film to create a character more comfortable for American audiences.
Ultimately, the animated Mulan is a better movie. Mulan is a stronger and more relatable protagonist, the movie is packed with a cast of supporting characters that all have well-developed arcs, and the music makes up one of Disney's best soundtracks.
It went on to gross $120 million in the United States and Canada combined, and $304 million worldwide, making it the second-highest grossing family film of the year, behind A Bug's Life, and the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year overall.
Ramirez, director of the DreamWorks' film Joseph: King of Dreams. It was scheduled to be released in 2001 but was delayed for many years until production was cancelled by John Lasseter after he was named CEO of Walt Disney Animation Studios in early 2006.
In Walt Disney Animation Studios' all-new epic animated musical, Moana 2, three years since her first voyage, Moana is on an expansive journey in search of people beyond the shores of Motunui. Moana 2 opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.
A planned sequel titled Hercules II: The Trojan War was canceled due to strategic changes in Disney's straight-to-video projects. A modern Hercules follow-up could be successful if it stays true to classic mythology while leveraging the strengths of the original movie and bringing back the compelling cast.
The film reportedly grossed between $60 million and $90 million in the United States within the first 12 days of its online release, paling in comparison to its budget. In China, the film took in $23.2 million on its opening weekend, with a sharp 72% decline the following weekend, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
Although the whole film told a Chinese story, it actually still showed huge differences between the film and genuine Chinese ancient culture. First, in the film, there are several Chinese elements misunderstood.
RELATED: Mulan: The Actual Legend Behind Disney's Warrior Princess, Explained. Mulan presents chi as a mystical energy that males are pre-dispositioned to possess. Chi can be used by warriors to augment their physical abilities. For whatever reason, Mulan possesses an extraordinary amount of chi.
Scholarly consensus is that Mulan is a fictional character, probably developed in Northern China in response to the greater independence women enjoyed there, whose legend was then revised in succeeding eras to reflect the values and challenges of the times.
On the basis of drawing materials from Chinese historical stories and retaining traditional Chinese ideas and images, the Disney movie Mulan adopts a series of Hollywood story blending methods to make American-style transformation of characters and values, according to the sight of Americans the standard of Chinese ...
The Walt Disney Company owns 43 percent of the resort; the majority 57 percent is held by Shanghai Shendi Group, a joint venture of three companies owned by the Shanghai government.
