Latino media leaders gathered in Sacramento Wednesday for the second annual Latino Media Summit hosted by the Latino Media Collaborative, the parent company behind CALÓ NEWS.
In attendance and on stage was civil rights icon, Dolores Huerta, who has led many a revolution to support and improve the lives off all Latinos and people of color. She served next to Cesar Chavez to fight for farmworker rights in the 1960s, and she championed equity and access to quality education for all.
But on Wednesday she took a moment to rally support for another cause: Showing up at the box office for the DC superhero film “Blue Beetle.”
“There is a new movie that I am promoting, and it’s not ‘Barbie,'” Huerta said, referring to “Blue Beetle” before quipping that all men should go see “Barbie.”
“Please go see it and promote it because we have a really genuine Latino superhero,” said Huerta, who recently screened the film. “It’s funny and a great movie. Sí se puede.”
This weekend, the Warner Bros film is expected to be the first film to bump “Barbie,” another Warner Bros film, from the No. 1 spot at the box office. Hailed as a possible crowning moment for Latinos as “Black Panther” is to the Black community, DC’s first Latino-led superhero movie.
Latinos make up almost a third of all box office tickets and represent 27% of online streaming audiences, according to the 2022 Latino Donor Collaborative Latinos in Media Report. They also are incredibly loyal. Global audience analytics research firm Nielsen reports that a majority of Latinos are more likely to keep watching a show or film if it features Latinos.
The state summit drew politicians, educators, philanthropists and media exectuives to discuss the most pressing challenges facing the Latino community and the value of working together.
But Huerta stole the spotlight. And among her highlights, was a short speech about how important it is for Latinos to support “Blue Beetle,” which stars Xolo Maridueña as the superhero-in-disguise Jaime Reyes. This film boasts among the largest Latino cast in Hollywood.
Dolores asks, no, demands, that Latinos support this monumental moment by buying tickets and filling the movie theaters. The video sums it up pretty well.
The film has missed a key promotional window due to the ongoing writers’ and SAG-AFTRA strike. So, along with Dolores, we are here to help.
Whether you care about comics are not, make no mistake: This is a huge opportunity to prove to Hollywood and the nation and the world that not only do Latinos belong as actors, directors and film makers, but that Latinos, as always, show up to make the world better in numerous ways. Sometimes that mean we must picket and strike, sometimes we must fight for equal access to education and high-paying jobs, and sometimes that means we show up to support each other in whatever endeavor we take on.
I have bought my tickets, for me and my family. We will buy popcorn and blue slushies. And as soon as we can, we will hit the merchandise shelves, too.
The film has already earned an incredible rating of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, as did the amazing documentary about Huerta released in 2017, which was and produced by another Latino legend, Carlos Santana.
That film is titled “Dolores,” and is available on Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube and elsewhere. Click here to watch the trailer for the documentary.
If I may ask anything of our followers at CALÓ NEWS, it is that we heed requests made by Huerta, given how much she has sacrificed and given to our most important causes and triumphs.
Follow her advice. Fill the seats for “Blue Beetle.”
And, do me a favor. Watch “Dolores,” too. Maybe, buy a Dolores shirt from her foundation.
Because representation matters.