Mulan release is delayed by Disney due to the growing coronavirus outbreak two weeks before scheduled opening
Disney has decided to delay the release of the much-anticipated, live-action remake of Mulan due to the growing coronavirus outbreak.
The action-drama film had been scheduled to hit theaters in the US on March 27.
The premiere had previously been postponed in China, where it was expected to be a box-office bonanza, due to the initial outbreak that was mostly in the Asian country.
Disney cancelled it’s London red carpet event at Thursday’s UK premiere of Mulan but the screening of the film still went forward; Yifei Liu is seen here at the screening
Disney also scaled back it’s London red carpet event at Thursday’s UK premiere but the screening of the film still went forward with such stars as Liu Yifei, Yoson An, Donnie Yen and director Niki Caro in attendance.
‘In an abundance of caution we are down-scaling this evening’s premiere of Mulan and will no longer have a media line or red carpet,’ Disney said in a statement as reported by Deadline.
‘We will however continue to host the premiere screening as a contained inside screening event.’
Subdued premiere: Ron Yuan, Niki Caro, Yifei Liu, Jason Scott Lee and Yoson An attended the Mulan photocall in London on Thursday
Grand arrival: The movie’s release date delay comes just days after Yifei Liu and the cast attended the premiere in Hollywood; the leading lady is pictured March 9
Despite the lack of fanfare at the event, Yifei looked in good spirits as she posed for photographers alongside her co-stars that also included Jet Li, Jason Scott and Gong Li.
Yifei, 32, who plays the title character, cut a glamorous figure at the event in a black gown that featured a sheer petticoat skirt with a floral detail.
The actress is from Wuhan, China, the origin where the coronavirus outbreak originated.
Her grandmother is still in Wuhan, but she told Variety: ‘She’s doing good.’
The live-action movie is an adaption of Disney’s 1998 animated film of the same name.
Growing concerns: Disney made the decision to delay the release of the live-action remake of Mulan due to the growing Coronavirus outbreak
Yifei plays a young Chinese Maiden who disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
The news of the Mulan premiere delay comes in the wake of Disney closing Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure as of March 14 through the end of the month.
That decision was made after California Governor Gavin Newsome issued an executive order calling for the cancellation of large, non-essential public gatherings in the state, though he had exempted theme parks and casinos from the directive.
Other Disney parks in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo were also temporarily closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disney made a huge investment in the Mulan remake, with a $200 million budget.
On high alert! The premiere of Mulan had previously been delayed in China, where most of the initial cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed