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Solid reactions to Disney's 'Mulan' remake following US premiere

Mulan (Credit: Disney)
Mulan (Credit: Disney)

The reactions are in for Disney's big-budget remake of Mulan, following its premiere in Hollywood last night.

Director Niki Caro has adapted the beloved Chinese folk tale, based on The Ballad of Mulan, a young girl who disguises herself as a man to take her father's place in the army.

Read more: Mulan faces ‘unprecedented’ box office struggle

Disney made a hit animated movie of the tale in 1998, and this live-action remake comes in the wake of reboots of classics like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Dumbo.

But this latest, starring Liu Yifei in the lead role, appears to be a smash, according to the critics who saw it last night.

Some did pick up on issues with pacing, however, also suffering comparisons to the original movie.

But in the main, it’s a hit.

The movie also stars Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Ron Yuan, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Cheng Pei-Pei, Nelson Lee, Chum Ehelepola, Gong Li and Jet Li, and is set for release on 27 March.

Read more: Mulan’s Li Shang was axed in the wake of #MeToo

However, Disney is said to be concerned over how the outbreak of coronavirus will affect the movie's box office fortunes.

China, its key marketplace, has shuttered its cinemas since the spread of the disease, causing several movies – from 1917 to Sonic The Hedgehog – to axe their premieres.

Government authorities determine when movies are released in China, not the studios, with the release of Mulan still be decided.