Mulan delayed until August

Disney's live-action adaptation of Mulan has been delayed by almost a month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Niki Caro's retelling of the classic Disney animation, starring Liu Yifei, was originally supposed to open in cinemas in late March, but its release date was moved to 24 July after movie theatres closed amid the health crisis.

For a few weeks, Mulan looked set to be the first studio blockbuster to reopen cinemas, particularly after Warner Bros. bosses moved Christopher Nolan's Tenet from its original 17 July slot, but Disney executives have now confirmed they are postponing its release by almost a month and it is now scheduled to open on 21 August.

"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," said Alan Horn and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Walt Disney Studios, in a statement. "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."

Last week, Warner Bros. bosses pushed Tenet back to 12 August. As a result, MGM postponed the release of Bill & Ted Face the Music, starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, by two weeks to 28 August to avoid opening on the same week as the blockbuster.

In addition, Paramount Pictures announced it was delaying the release of Without Remorse, a Tom Clancy adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan, by almost five months from 2 October to 26 February 2021, and Russell Crowe's thriller Unhinged has moved from 10 to 31 July.