The Coronavirus Might Make ‘Mulan’ A Bigger Hit In The US

Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” has created a buzz all over the world, but especially in China and North America. Now, following the Coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, the Chinese film industry has become worried about how the disease Could affect the film’s release.

"All of the movie companies that are expecting to distribute movies coming up in China obviously are impacted by this," Disney’s CEO Bob Iger told CNBC. "The bigger issue on everybody's mind, the bigger concern, is what's going on with this virus and how far will it go in terms of its impact on people."

China’s film industry is second only to the U.S. and a movie of this caliber would have been a huge asset to their market. The film features an international cast consisting of predominantly Chinese actors and is more of an action/adventure family film than the original animated version.

“Mulan” which tells the story of a young woman in ancient China who disguises herself as a man to fight in place of her father in the army, cost $200 million to make and was expected to far surpass the budget at the box-office, according to CNN.

With 1,300 recorded deaths and 60,000 people infected by the virus, many in the industry are worried about the film’s success.

"When you talk about film making $1 billion worldwide, you don't usually do that without a big chunk of that total coming from China," said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations. "As the No. 2 market in the world, it's essential to the Disney brand."

“Mulan” is set for release on March 27 in North America.