‘Mulan’ and ‘New Mutants’ Removed from Disney’s Release Calendar Due to Coronavirus

Out of an abundance of caution, Disney has canceled its release plans for Mulan (March 27), The New Mutants (April 3) and Scott Cooper‘s horror movie Antlers (April 17) in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the studio announced Thursday. Unlike No Time to Die and F9, it’s unclear when any of them will hit theaters, though the studio is reportedly exploring release dates later this year.

Movie theaters remain open across the country, even in areas that have been most impacted by cases of COVID-19. Universal’s gory thriller The Hunt and Sony’s Vin Diesel actioner Bloodshot open in theaters tonight, though they may suffer a chilling effect as the swaths of the public decide to remain indoors.

new-mutants-release-delayed-coronavirus  Image via 20th Century

Earlier Thursday, Paramount opted to delay the release of its sequel to A Quiet Place, as well as its upcoming comedy The Lovebirds starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae.

In an effort to combat the coronavirus, some movie theaters have implemented limited seating arrangements so that patrons aren’t stacked right on top of each other.

As of right now, Disney still plans to release Marvel’s Black Widow on May 1, though that release date is also subject to change given the way things are going right now.

Mulan is one of the most expensive movies in Disney’s history, so it will necessitate a theatrical release down the line, but there is an argument to be made that the studio should consider releasing The New Mutants on Disney+ right now, given the number of sign-ups that could encourage. The most recent trailer garnered 35 million views in a single day. How many bored moviegoers out there would prefer to spend $5 to watch that film in the comfort of their own home rather than risk going to the movies? Disney+ has taken flack for its lack of new programming following The Mandalorian, so that would be an intriguing way to keep eyeballs on the streaming service rather than cede the space to Netflix and Amazon, which stand to benefit from the coronavirus pandemic. Stay tuned…

BY JEFF SNEIDER/Collider