Mulan's PG-13 rating makes it the first Disney live-action remake of animated classics to receive a rating above PG, and the first title from Disney's live action studio to receive PG-13 since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.
Trailers have depicted Mulan as more of a fantasy war epic than a musical, which strays from Disney's remakes often following similar beats to the original films, plus or minus a few songs or characters. Yet with the rating signifying a slightly more grown-up tale of the Chinese legend, modern times have proved that PG-13 rated features can still play well for families.
Warner Bros. saw its finale for the Harry Potter franchise settle well at the box office even with a PG-13 mark. And 2010's Deathly Hallows: Part 1 tallied $381 million domestically, with 2011's Deathly Hallows: Part 2 grossing $296 million domestically. As for the final two PG-rated Harry Potter films, 2009's Half-Blood Prince tallied $301 million domestically and 2004's Prisoner of Azkaban hit $249 million.
The film's rating follows concerns for box office performance due to the Coronavirus outbreak in China, which could potentially bump release dates for Mulan as well as April's Bond film No Time to Die.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Sharareh Drury