La Misma Taquilla

Flipping through El Nuevo Herald's movie listings the other day, I ran across ads for Bajo la Misma Luna --a well-publicized movie and first big screen vehicle for Mexican soap opera darling Kate del Castillo. According to a recent news report, Hispanics are the USA's fastest-rising demographic of movie ticket buyers. But from all accounts, this movie's story line is relevant beyond ethnicity. With a Mexican cast led by Del Castillo and Eugenio Derbez, the plot is about a boy who decides to cross the border to look for his mom who crossed a few years before him. The sensibility to immigration is very palpable in today's society and with widespread media coverage and accounts of personal stories, the story is very captivating.

The movie broke the top 10 list in the U.S. this week with $2.7 million in ticket sales-- a big feat considering the limited and targeted distribution strategy that first sought to mine Hispanic-dense cities. One good thing is that ensuing coverage has raised the credibility and marketability of this effort even higher by noting that the movie is backed by the Weinstein Co.-- the people behind the success of Cinema Paradiso and Amelie -- and Fox Searchlight. Weinstein is coming out with another big screen take on immigration in late August and that vehicle will be carried by Sonia Braga and Harrison Ford and takes on the tale of various nationalities wanting to achieve legal status in the U.S.

For now, audiences interested in the topic can watch the "ripped from the headlines" Spanish-language movie that is strengthening the reputation of Spanish-language films in the U.S.  FYI-- Comadre Ligiah Villalobos wrote the piece.