'Mulan' to stream in the UAE three months after theatrical release

The film is coming to OSN Streaming over the National Day long weekend

This image released by Disney shows Yifei Liu in the title role of "Mulan." Last month, Walt Disney Co. experimented with the $200 million “Mulan” as a premium buy on its fast-growing streaming service, Disney+, where the Pixar film “Soul” will also go on Dec. 25. WarnerMedia last week announced that “Wonder Woman 1984” -- a movie that might have made $1 billion at the box office in a normal summer -- will land in theaters and on HBO Max nearly simultaneously next month.  (Jasin Boland/Disney via AP)
Powered by automated translation

The live-action remake of Disney's Mulan is coming to OSN three months after it first hit cinemas.

Landing on December 3, Mulan will be available to subscribers. However, the platform is also hosting a competition that allows non-subscribers the chance to join the virtual premiere of Mulan for the first 24 hours of its release.

Mulan is the live-action remake of the 1998 Disney classic and was released in UAE cinemas on September 4.

This image released by Disney shows Yifei Liu in the title role of "Mulan."  The film is no longer headed for a major theatrical release. The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday that it will debut its live-action blockbuster on its subscription streaming service, Disney+, on Sept. 4. Customers will have to pay an additional $29.99 on top of the cost of the monthly subscription to rent “Mulan.” (Disney Enterprises, Inc. via AP)
'Mulan' will be available to stream in the UAE from December 3. AP Photo

The film, which stars Liu Yifei in the title role, was originally set to be released in March but, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, it was pushed back several times. In some markets, the film skipped a cinematic release in favour of a Disney+ digital one, but in the UAE it hit cinemas.

The film tells the story of a young woman who enlists in the Chinese army to protect her ailing father, hiding her true identity from her fellow soldiers by pretending to be a man.

"We are extremely proud to bring a blockbuster movie like Mulan to homes in the region just three months after its theatrical release. The legendary tale is sure to resonate with audiences in the region, telling the story of an inspiring female warrior. We are living in unprecedented times due to the global pandemic, and consumer behaviour is changing," said OSN's interim chief content officer, Rolla Karam.

"Our audiences across the Middle East and North Africa want the latest global content, on demand and they want access to it from the safety of their homes."

Disney+ joined partnered with OSN in the Middle East earlier this year, sharing Disney+ Original content on its boxes and streaming service, OSN Streaming. However, it doesn't offer the entire global Disney+ catalogue.

An earlier version of this story said the film would be free to stream for 24 hours; OSN has since updated its release to make this a competition.

Available from Thursday, December 3 on the OSN Streaming app; subscriptions start at $9.50 per month; visit osn.com/mulan