[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES: Walt Disney’s remake of Mulan grossed $ 23.2 million over the weekend at the China box office, a slow start to the big-budget epic about a Chinese folk hero in its biggest theatrical market.
Mulan’s debut missed director Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which grossed $ 29.8 million in China a week earlier. Unlike Tenet, Mulan was designed to attract large audiences in the country.
But Mulan, which cost $ 200 million to produce, was plagued by political controversy and received mixed reviews in China. It had been scheduled to debut in March until it was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has limited movie screenings around the world.
READ: Calls for a Mulan movie boycott grow over scenes filmed in Xinjiang
“It’s a disappointing debut,” said Jeff Bock, Senior Media Analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “Disney made this movie for Chinese audiences and they saw it fail.”
Mulan sparked a backlash on social media abroad and calls for a boycott for his star’s support of the Hong Kong police and for being partially filmed in the Xinjiang region, where China’s crackdown on ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims have been criticized by some governments. and rights groups.
Chinese authorities told mainstream media not to cover the film’s premiere in the wake of the uproar, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Total worldwide box office revenue for Mulan reached $ 37.6 million as of Sunday for the seven territories where the film is screened.
Disney is trying to profit from Mulan through an unusual launch strategy because the pandemic has left many theaters closed.
The company made Mulan available for viewing online in the United States and other countries where the Disney + streaming service is available.
In China and other countries where Disney + does not operate, Disney is releasing Mulan in theaters. Disney has not provided sales figures for the broadcast.
