You'll be forgiven for the confusion surrounding the release of the live-action version of Mulan. Originally supposed to premiere in the spring of 2020, the theatrical release of the new version of the Disney classic (and the ancient Chinese story) was scuttled due to the global pandemic. Instead, Mulan would make its debut on Disney+, the streaming service for all things Disney. (Among other things.)
But Disney threw everyone a curveball — Mulan would be the first (and for now, only) release as part of the "Premier Access" program. That means that in addition to the monthly subscription for Disney+, you'd also have a pay a premium of $29.99 to access Mulan. You don't own the movie, but so long as you keep your Disney+ subscription, you can watch it.
Disney also said that Mulan would leave Premier Access at some point and join the general population on Disney+, and you wouldn't have to pay extra to watch it. So essentially that makes Premier Access a "watch it before anyone else" sort of tax.
Back to the question at hand: Mulan will leave Premier Access and join the rest of Disney+ on Dec. 4, 2020 — three months after it makes its debut on Sept. 4.
- How to watch Mulan on Disney Plus
- What countries is Mulan available in?
- How much does Mulan cost on Disney Plus where you live?
- Meet the cast of Mulan
- Nobody else could have played the role of Mulan, director says
- See the full Mulan photo gallery
That's according to the Mulan landing page on Disney+ itself, as well as support pages on Disney+. (As of this writing, there's been no official word from the usual Disney press sources, nor did Disney respond to our direct inquiry.)
That leaves Disney fans with a choice. Pay an extra $30 to watch Mulan now? Or wait three months until it's available for "free." (Yes, we're fine saying it's free at that point, because you've already paid your subscription fee for greater Disney+ access.) It's a fair question, and it's not one we're going to presume to answer for you.
It's also an important detail for Disney+ subscribers in France. For whatever reason (lawyers, most likely) Premier Access isn't available in France. Thus, no Mulan for that country on Sept. 4. Instead, they'll have to wait until Dec. 4.
