(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co postponed the debut of its movie “Mulan” indefinitely, the company said on Thursday, dealing a new blow to theater operators who were counting on the live-action epic to help attract audiences during a pandemic.
“Mulan” was scheduled to reach theaters in March but its release has been postponed several times as many movie theaters remain closed to help keep the novel coronavirus from spreading. It had most recently been set to debut on Aug. 21.
Disney also said it had delayed the release of currently scheduled “Avatar” and “Star Wars” films by one year. “Avatar 2” is now set to debut in December 2022, and the next “Star Wars” movie in December 2023.
“It’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis,” a Disney representative said. “Today that means pausing our release plans for ‘Mulan’ as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world.”
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
