'Mulan' star Chen Tang was 'a little bit disappointed' about the movie heading to Disney Plus, but is hopeful it will play in theaters one day

• Disney's live-action "Mulan" was postponed multiple times from a March 27 release due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
• It was eventually released on Disney Plus on September 4 as a premium option to subscribers.
• "I wasn't super bummed that it was going on Disney Plus," "Mulan" star Chen Tang recently told Insider while discussing the film and his role on season two of Cinemax's "Warrior." "It was surprising and I was a little bit disappointed simply because we shot it big."
• Tang said he hopes fans get to experience the film on the big screen as it was meant to be seen one day when theaters can open safely.

Disney's live-action "Mulan" was originally supposed to hit theaters on March 27, but instead premiered on Disney Plus after many delays. Still, one of the film's stars said he hopes that fans will one day get to see it on the big screen.

"I feel a mixture of different things," Chen Tang, who played Yao in the live-action adaptation, told Insider when asked how he felt seeing the release date pushed back multiple times before landing on Disney Plus.

"Believe it or not, I wasn't super bummed that it had kept getting pushed back. I wasn't super bummed that it was going on Disney Plus," he continued. "It was surprising and I was a little bit disappointed simply because we shot it big. It's a big, huge, different experience to see it on a big screen." When the coronavirus pandemic forced theater closures, "Mulan" was pushed back to July 24 and then August 21 before eventually landing a digital release on Disney Plus on September 4. But back then, subscribers had to pay a premium $29.99 to unlock the film. On December 4, however, the film will be available for all subscribers to stream at no additional cost. When considering the real-world situation of the pandemic, Tang said it was the right call for Disney to send the movie to streaming.

"From my point of view, it's just a movie, man. This is a pandemic," Tang said. "I was actually quite appreciative for Disney to keep pushing it back."

Tang added that if the film was released in theaters, there was a possibility that fans were going to get sick and nobody wanted that.

---

"At the end of the day, I'm just stoked that people get to see it," he added. "There's a silver lining in it that a lot of people got to see it instantly and repeatedly on streaming. That's pretty cool, actually."

Looking over Disney's previous 2020 theatrical calendar, "Mulan" was set to be one of the studio's biggest movies of the year. In 2019, the studio had a record seven movies cross $1 billion at the box office. Two out of three of Disney's last live-action adaptations have crossed $1.1 billion at theaters worldwide. While "Mulan" is available for fans to stream at home, some of the moments don't translate the same way onto the small screen as they do in theaters. Producer Jason Reed told Insider senior reporter Jason Guerrasio that he was disappointed audiences won't get to experience the battle sequence when Mulan no longer disguises herself as a man while fighting alongside the Imperial Army in theaters.

Tang, who is now starring on the second season of Cinemax's "Warrior," still hopes fans will get a chance to see the film on the big screen the way the filmmakers originally intended.

"I can't say I'm crushed by it, but I'm a little disappointed to be honest," Tang said of fans not getting to experience the film in theaters. "There's a huge difference. When you see it with the music and the sound, nothing can beat that. Unless you have a theater in your house — which most of us I don't think do — it's not the same experience."

Although Tang said he "can't speak" to Disney's plan to eventually release "Mulan" in theaters, he did add that "Disney was always behind the movie and I think they're entertaining that possibility as well."

Disney's live-action "Mulan" is now available to own on 4K and Blu-ray. You can follow our coverage of the movie here.