Disney's 'Mulan' Underwhelms On Chinese Debut

Walt Disney Co’s DIS Mulan is struggling at the box office in China amid calls for a boycott and a string of poor reviews, CNBC reported Sunday.

What Happened: At the end of the three-day weekend in China, the Liu Yifei starrer bagged just over $23 million, lower than the $30 million AT&T Inc T-owned Warner Bros Studio’s “Tenet” “raked in its opening weekend a week earlier, according to CNBC.

Local war epic "The Eight Hundred" bagged $83 million during its debut weekend last month.

While 91% of cinemas were reportedly open in China over the three-day weekend, the seating was capped at 50% at the majority of the theaters.

“China was supposed to be the savior for this film, now it will rest on the success of premium video on-demand on Disney+,” Jeff Bock senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations, a market intelligence firm, told CNBC.

Why It Matters: Disney hasn't released data on online sales of Mulan. More details are expected in its quarterly earnings report in November, CNBC noted.

Mulan drove a 193% spike in Disney+ in-app spending at the beginning of the month, according to TechCrunch.

The film is facing a boycott over China’s poor treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. Parts of the film were reportedly shot in the region.

The blockbuster is priced steeply on Disney’s subscription video on demand platform at $29.99, which is on top of the $6.99 per month subscription.

Price Action: Disney shares closed 1.1% lower at $131.75 on Friday.

Photo courtesy: The Walt Disney Company