With word breaking that Disney's Mulan would go straight to streaming in September, the internet was immediately ablaze with anger over the seemingly outrageous price for a single movie. Set at a $30 rental fee on top of the standard Disney+ membership fee, many said they simply wouldn't pay that much to watch the movie. Even though this would be the same cost as taking several folks to the theater, the pricing seemed a bit outrageous as many are still out of work and don't have the means necessary to pay a steep rental cost. Considering the budget for Mulan was over $200 million, the studio obviously wants to recoup their money. As of yet there has been no real word on when cinemas would fully reopen in the U.S.. This has put Disney in a precarious position.
Now it's been clarified via a Disney representative. The $30 price tag will be for a digital purchase of the film. Once someone has paid, it will remain in their Disney+ library permanently. Insider reported that subscribers will have "continuous access" to the movie as long as they remain members of the subscription service. This may not make everyone feel better but it means that Disney is looking out for both themselves and the loyal members they've acquired in their first year of release.
The entire situation is a moving target right now. Hopefully it continues to change and evolve with the strange times we're living in.
-CG