Disney's 'Mulan' Remake Delayed Again, Now Slated For The Week After 'Tenet' In August

Following in the footsteps of Warner Bros. Pictures' recent decision to push back the release of Christopher Nolan's Tenet by two weeks, Disney has delayed back the live-action remake of Mulan an entire month into August. But will that be enough time to allow theaters to safely reopen around the United States?

The Hollywood Reporter has news on Mulan delayed again, with Disney setting a new release date of August 21, 2020. Here's what Alan Horn and Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement about the impending release:

"While the pandemic has changed our release plans for Mulan and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance. Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic, and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that's where we believe it belongs – on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together."

The delay of Mulan puts it in theaters just a little over a week after Tenet. Previously, the movie was slated to arrive the week after Tenet when Disney pushed it back from the original March release to the hopeful July 24 slot. But now that Tenet has been pushed from the end of July to August 12, the Disney movie is back in pretty much the same position it was before. That makes August a bit crowded since The New Mutants is also dated for August 28, but we wouldn't be surprised if that got pushed too.

The biggest reason for the shift for both Mulan and Tenet is that the New York government recently stated that malls, gyms, and movie theaters will not be allowed to reopen as part of the state's fourth phase of its careful reopening. Combine that with the rise of coronavirus cases around the United States, and it's simply not a good time to release new blockbusters into theaters. In fact, it's simply not a good time to reopen movie theaters around the US in general.

There's a good chance this won't be the last time the theatrical release of Mulan gets delayed. However, Disney's statement seems to imply that no matter how long they have to delay the movie, they intend to release it in theaters. So don't expect to see it sent to Disney+ like Artemis Fowl.