The last time Disney Plus saw such a huge spike was with Hamilton causing a 79% rise in downloads. When Mulan released on the streaming platform over the weekend the company witnessed a huge spike of 68% in downloads according to Yahoo.
Mulan was set to release in March in cinemas, however, due to the pandemic, it had been delayed and was then announced a September release on Disney Plus. The film was well-received and liked by critics, bagging 77 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney was skeptical about releasing such a huge budget and a highly anticipated movie on the streaming platform rather than in cinemas. However, this bold move not only spiked their app downloads, in fact, as per, an app download research firm, Sensor Tower, it also increased consumer spending by a staggering 193%.
The release of Disney’s live-action Mulan caused @disneyplus downloads to leap by 68% to 890,000 over the weekend. User spending on the streaming app rose 193% to USD12 million compared with a week earlier, according to US-based market analytics firm Sensor Tower. #Mulan pic.twitter.com/fvly47YFNI
— Yicai Global 第一财经 (@yicaichina) September 8, 2020
Despite the boycott on releasing Mulan on Disney Plus by Asian fan and an added cost to purchase the movie which costs around $30 and will be free from December onwards, Disney got immense success with Mulan’s release on the platform and the numbers are truly record-breaking. In fact, the company stocks even went up after Mulan’s exemplary success.
The cost to purchase Mulan globally is as follows:
- Canada: C$35 and Disney Plus costs C$9 a month, or C$90 per year.
- Australia: AU$35 and Disney Plus costs AU$9 a month, or AU$90 per year
- New Zealand: NZ$40 and Disney Plus costs NZ$10 per month or NZ$100 per year.
- Japan: 2,980 yen and Disney Plus costs 700 yen a month.
- UK: £20 and Disney Plus costs £6 a month, or £60 a year.
- Euro zone: 22 euros and Disney Plus costs 7 euros a month, or 70 euros a year. (Ireland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands).
- Swizerland: 29 francs and Disney Plus costs 9.90 francs, or 99 francs a year.
Mulan’s story revolves around a young Chinese girl who disguises herself as a man in order to take part in the battle, instead of her father, whom she thinks would not be able to survive it. As she carries on with her mission, she perfects her craft and turns out to be an unbeatable and highly skilled warrior.
Many fans consider this as an alternative to the cinema, with such a successful launch we are wondering whether Disney will take the same strategy with its other upcoming projects.
