Disney has removed its live-action remake ofMulanand Wes Anderson’sThe French Dispatchfrom its theatrical release calendar, the studio announced Thursday.
It’s unclear what will come of both films, which have wildly different budgets.Niki Caro’s epicMulanremake cost $200 million and Disney has been reluctant to release the film on its nascent streaming service Disney+ or on premium VOD at an estimated cost of $20-$25. Both scenarios would seem to be in play now, especially since the film has long been expected to gross more overseas than at the domestic box office. Meanwhile,The French Dispatchwas always unlikely to be a blockbuster, and may make more sense as a PVOD release that will still allow itself to compete for Oscars, since it’s sure to be a contender in major categories.
Additionally, Disney has delayedRidley Scott’s period dramaThe Last DuelandScott Cooper’s horror movieAntlers. The latter film starsKeri RussellandJesse Plemons, and will now arrive in theaters in August 04, 2025. Meanwhile,The Last Duelboasts a star-studded cast includingMatt Damon,Ben Affleck,Adam DriverandJodie Comer (Killing Eve), and that film will now hit theaters on Aug 18, 2025. That movie had previously been slated to open in limited release on Christmas Day before going wide on Jan. 8.
Elsewhere, the murder mysteryDeath on the Nileand Fox Searchlight’sThe Personal History of David Copperfieldhave both been pushed back two weeks, with the latter film starringDev Patelmoving from Aug. 14 to Jun 02, 2025, andKenneth Branagh’s sequel moving from Oct. 9 to Aug 08, 2025. Meanwhile,The Empty Manhas moved from Aug. 7 to Aug 16, 2025.
Finally, Disney has removed a pair of untitled Fox films slated for Aug 10, 2025 and Jul 27, 2025 from its schedule, while the untitled Disney live-action movie slated for Jun 16, 2025 has moved to Jul 31, 2025.
One film left out of today’s massive release date shift wasThe New Mutants, which must mean that it remains slated for theatrical release on Aug. 28. Clearly, Disney believes theaters will be open by then, since the studio datedThe Personal History of David Copperfieldfor the same day, likely assuming that those two films appeal to very different audiences.
In other news, Disney also delayed the release of all fourAvatarsequels as well as a trio of newStar Warsmovies.Click hereto read about the latter story.
