It’s Mulan again! A video of Chinese actress Liu Yifei’s audition for Mulan earned nearly 10 million views after it was shared by the film’s director Niki Caro on Wednesday. The hashtag for the video became Thursday’s top trend on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo, making Mulan one of the most talked topics on the social media platform.
But will this attention turn into a willingness to catch it in cinemas, making it a big hit in the Middle Kingdom?
With theaters in the Chinese mainland set for a soft reopening in late May – probably right after the Two Sessions end – and Disney’s announcement of a July 24 release date, the answer seems to be yes.
More good news for the Chinese film industry arrived on Thursday after the government announced a series of measures to help the hard-hit movie industry recover, including an exemption policy on value-added tax for cinemas.
However, the reality is that the ongoing pandemic, which has caused 30 billion yuan ($4.23b) losses for Chinese studios and cinemas, is still a fluid situation. Even the Chinese authorities cannot 100 percent guarantee that another shutdown won’t be necessary after reopening cinemas.
All in all, it is still exciting news for Disney that the China-tailored Mulan can still draw so much interest among Chinese moviegoers, who have eagerly put it on the top on Sina Weibo’s list of the most anticipated movies.
Imansyah Lubis, production manager for Indonesian company Bumilangit, poses next to an image of local superhero Gundala at the company office in Jakarta on February 4. Below: A sketch of the superhero Gundala Photos: AFP
