Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Makes Inspired World Premiere While Remaining Cautious Of Coronavirus
Click here to read the full article.
On Monday night, Disney had the world premiere of their forthcoming live-action version of the classic animated feature Mulan in Los Angeles and while some were expecting it to follow the lead of major festivals and events closing due to coronavirus fears, the premiere went on as planned and it was filled with red carpet glam and enthusiasm as any Hollywood premiere — but there were discreet precautions taken by the Dolby Theater as well as the attendees.
There were the normal security checks around the Hollywood and Highland center including officials randomly inspecting cars as they entered the garage and metal detectors. On top of that, there were hand sanitizing stations placed throughout the red carpet area and the Dolby Theater.
More from Deadline
As attendees greeted each other, many were shaking hands and hugging, but you can overhear people asking permission to hug or shake hands. There were just as many attendees taking precautions by giving an elbow bump rather than shaking hands. Even during the reception, workers were politely vigilant when it came to the food. They kept a close eye on if the guests came into contact with the food. Over at the dessert table, one guest took a cookie with a napkin rather than having a server give it to them with a pair of tongs. As a result, they ended up tossing out the whole tray of cookies. This was, of course, was done as a just-in-case safeguard from coronavirus.
Director Niki Caro walked on stage to introduce the film but before doing so, she talked about the journey of the film and how she was excited to share it with the audience. She genuinely spoke of how the movie champions females as warriors and how they should not be held back by the expectations of society. More importantly, she showed gratitude for being allowed to direct a film based on legendary Chinese source material.
She addressed the “challenging” time we are in right now — specifically in China. She hopes that the film will help lift spirits and give the drive to persevere through the current outbreak.
From there, she brought out the cast including Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Jet Li, Nelson Lee, Jun Yu, Jimmy Wong, Doua Moua, Ron Yuan, Rosalind Chao, Tzi Ma and, of course, the heroine herself, Liu Yifei.
The live-action Mulan was adapted by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek. The film is currently tracking a 3-day domestic debut around $85M when it opens in theaters on March 27.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
