'Mulan' to stream in the UAE three months after theatrical release

The film is coming to OSN Streaming over the National Day long weekend

The 2020 live-action remake of 'Mulan' scored 74 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. AP Photo

The live-action remake of Disney's Mulan is coming to OSN three months after it first hit cinemas.

Landing on December 3, Mulan will be available to subscribers. However, the platform is also hosting a competition that allows non-subscribers the chance to join the virtual premiere of Mulan for the first 24 hours of its release.

Mulan is the live-action remake of the 1998 Disney classic and was released in UAE cinemas on September 4.

The film, which stars Liu Yifei in the title role, was originally set to be released in March but, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, it was pushed back several times. In some markets, the film skipped a cinematic release in favour of a Disney+ digital one, but in the UAE it hit cinemas.

The film tells the story of a young woman who enlists in the Chinese army to protect her ailing father, hiding her true identity from her fellow soldiers by pretending to be a man.

"We are extremely proud to bring a blockbuster movie like Mulan to homes in the region just three months after its theatrical release. The legendary tale is sure to resonate with audiences in the region, telling the story of an inspiring female warrior. We are living in unprecedented times due to the global pandemic, and consumer behaviour is changing," said OSN's interim chief content officer, Rolla Karam.

"Our audiences across the Middle East and North Africa want the latest global content, on demand and they want access to it from the safety of their homes."

Disney+ joined partnered with OSN in the Middle East earlier this year, sharing Disney+ Original content on its boxes and streaming service, OSN Streaming. However, it doesn't offer the entire global Disney+ catalogue.

An earlier version of this story said the film would be free to stream for 24 hours; OSN has since updated its release to make this a competition.

Available from Thursday, December 3 on the OSN Streaming app; subscriptions start at $9.50 per month; visit osn.com/mulan