Disney's live-action 'Mulan' is already being criticized in China, but it will likely still be a box-office sensation

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Disney's live-action 'Mulan' is already being criticized in China, but it will likely still be a box-office sensation

mulan

Disney

"Mulan" (2020)

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  • Disney's upcoming live-action "Mulan" is being criticized in China for historical inaccuracies on social media.
  • But there is still plenty of buzz surrounding the movie. Hashtags related to the movie's first trailer were viewed over 1 billion times, according to Variety.
  • China has become an essential international territory for hopeful blockbusters, and the region is expected to surpass the US as the world's box-office leader in the coming years.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Disney's upcoming live-action "Mulan" is already being criticized in China, but there's still plenty of buzz surrounding the movie.

"Mulan," which comes to theaters in March, dropped its first trailer on Sunday, and some in China are pointing out historical inaccuracies, according to Variety.

"Disney shouldn't be so careless and just think that because tulou are beautiful, they can make Mulan live in one," said one user on the Chinese social-media platform, Weibo, Variety reported. "She's not Fujianese! I guess this Mulan has to take the subway out to join the army?"

Tulou houses would not have been prominent where and when "Mulan" is set for another thousand years.

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But any amount of criticism likely won't hinder "Mulan's" box-office chances in China, and there's clearly interest in this live-action retelling of the 1998 animated Disney classic. The hashtags "Hua Mulan" and "Mulan Trailer" were viewed over 1 billion times each in the two days after the trailer's release, according to Variety.

The region has become an essential international territory for hopeful blockbusters. A November report from Ampere Analysis projected China to surpass the US as the world's largest theatrical market by 2022, with revenue reaching $12 billion by then.

Disney's live-action remakes so far this year haven't generated the excitement that "Mulan" likely will. "Dumbo" made $21 million in China, and "Aladdin" is faring better with $53 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo.

But Disney did strike gold in China (and everywhere else) with "Avengers: Endgame." The movie is the highest-grossing Hollywood release in China ever with $614 million. It shows how Marvel is such a valuable property there for Disney compared to "Star Wars"; "Endgame" made more in its opening week than all of Disney's "Star Wars" releases did combined, and "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is off to a strong start in China, as well.

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