Mulan sees slow start in China with £18m opening weekend despite costing £155m

Film was released in Chinese cinemas a week after making its international debut on Disney+

Mulan has struggled to make its desired impact in China after taking only $23.2m (£18m) in its opening weekend.

Disney’s live action remake opened in Chinese cinemas on Friday (11 September) after long delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The film, which cost $200m (£155m) to produce, was made with both American and Chinese audiences in mind and stars a cast of popular Chinese actors, including Liu Yiefei as Mulan as well as Gong Li, Jet Li and Donnie Yen.

However, the film struggled to meet its predicted targets during its opening weekend, taking $23.2m across the country. It had been predicted to make between $30m (£23m) and $40m (£31m) during this period, even with the coronavirus pandemic limiting cinema audiences.

Mulan has also been earning middling scores on China’s leading ticket apps, Maoyan, where it is rated 7.6 and Douban, where it is rated 4.9, Deadline reports.

Liu Yiefei in ‘Mulan' (Disney)

International ticket sales for Mulan are hard to measure, as the film was released exclusively on streaming service Disney+ in a number of territories for a premium price. Disney has not released statistics regarding these sales.

The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey gave Mulan a four-star review, calling it “the best of the Disney remakes so far”.