After 'Tenet', 'Mulan' release postponed indefinitely

Looks like 2020 is going to be a no show for cinema halls across the world. Just days after the release of Christopher Nolan's big-ticket 'Tenet' was pushed indefinitely, Walt Disney Co has now decided to delay the release of its live-action film 'Mulan'.

The move is being termed as a new blow to theatre operators that were counting on the live-action film to attract crowds to the theatres amid pandemic.

'Mulan' was scheduled to reach theaters in March but its release has been postponed several times as many cinemas remain closed. The film had most recently been set to debut on August 21 and theater operators had hoped it would help spark a late-summer rebound for movie-going.

Apart from Mulan, Disney has also announced its decision to delay the filming of its two big sequels of hit franchises- 'Avatar' and 'Star Wars' by an year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The filming of 'Avatar' sequel had begun in New Zeland earlier this month and it is not known yet if the production has been halted.

The 'Avatar' sequel is now set to debut in theaters in December 2022, and the next 'Star Wars' movie in December 2023.

"It’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis," a Disney representative said. "Today that means pausing our release plans for `Mulan` as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world."

The AMC and Cineworld movie theater chains on Thursday pushed back the reopening date for their US theaters to at least mid-August from the end of July.

The 'Avatar' delay also removes one of next year`s biggest movies. Disney has not released details on the next 'Star Wars' film.

(With inputs from Reuters)