Can theatrical release in China save Hollywood's bleak summer?

Mulan was expected to earn more than US$1 billion at box offices worldwide. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY CO
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With American cinema attendance on the decline well before Covid-19, Hollywood has long understood the importance of being able to release a movie in the coveted China market, where only a few of its films are allowed to open in theatres under a quota system.

That market has become even more critical to the survival of big-budget Hollywood films in the coronavirus era. And no film shows this more than Disney's new liveaction Mulan remake, both in its production and distribution.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 03, 2020, with the headline Can theatrical release in China save Hollywood's bleak summer?. Subscribe