Up until this very second in time, Disney has been content with every single one of its live-action remakes based on a classic animated movie getting a PG or G rating. That all changes with their next live-action remake. Mulan is getting ready for its March 25 debut. And it has just been given a PG-13 rating. The first of these live-action remakes to earn such an honor.
Mulan is treating its source material much more seriously than previous live-action Disney remakes. Gone are all of the musical numbers. And the Eddie Murphy voiced dragon Mushu has also landed in the dumpster, making this a more realistic, streamlined take on the classic story.
And with that comes a more adult rating. It’s not an R, but the Motion Picture Associate of America has decided that no one under the age of 13 should be able to see Mulan unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. This is a war movie after all. And the reason for the PG-13 rating makes perfect sense.
Mulan is Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence.
Mulan is being sold as an adventure drama more than it is a family comedy. This is a departure from what Disney has been doing in the past, and this particular remake will deviate from the 1998 original quite a bit. There have been a number of Mulan live-action movies made outside of Disney, including Lady General Hua Mu-Lan in 1964 and as recent as Mulan: Legendary Warrior in 2009.
It is not expected that the PG-13 rating will be a big deterrent for parents wanting to take their children to see Mulan. The final two movies in the Harry Potter franchise were rated PG-13, and brought in big cash. Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is also quite successful serving as a family friendly adventure series that still falls under the PG-13 umbrella. It’s unlikely that the PG-13 rating will effect Mulan at the box office.
Though, at the current moment, even before the rating was announced, Mulan has not been tracking well. It is a Chinese movie with a Chinese story and a Chinese cast. Which means it should clean up at the box office overseas, with China being such a huge box office market. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus is keeping Mulan out of the country for the time being, and there is no premiere currently planned. This will definitely cut into the movie’s revenue stream.
Mulan is directed by Niki Caro, perhaps best known for The Zookeeper’s Wife and North Country. Yifei Liu headlines the movie as the title character Mulan. She is joined by Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jason Scott Lee as B&öri Khan, Yoson An as Cheng Honghui, Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The movie is set to hit theaters on March 27. We’ll just have to wait and see if the PG-13 rating keeps some Disney fans out of the theater. The rating news was delievered by The MPAA.
