Gold House, the creator of #GoldOpen, has partnered with The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) to present #LatinxGoldOpen, a social movement dedicated to ensuring the opening weekend success of Latino driven films across the country.
The opening weekend is the most critical time window for film projects to guarantee their vitality. #LatinxGoldOpen will increase awareness of premieres through an extensive network of influencers and bring together audiences to guarantee success of these films through theater buyouts and increased individual and bulk ticket purchases.
“Countless studies have demonstrated that films with diverse cast in front and behind the camera tend to do better at the box office. While Hollywood knows this to be true, there is still a long road ahead for proper diverse representation,” says Benjamin Lopez, Executive Director of NALIP. “We’re excited to work with Gold House for the #LatinxGoldOpen initiative promoting Jon M. Chu’s film ‘In the Heights,’ based on the stage musical by the same name by Quiara Alegria Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. This partnership is a strong example of multicultural organizations coming together to support one cause, amplifying and supporting authentic stories and diverse talent in the media and proving that there is a worldwide audience for them.”
The #LatinxGoldOpen initiative kicks off with ‘In The Heights’ premiering on June 11th, 2021 in theaters and on HBOMax. The film is based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show and is directed by Jon M. Chu.
Daniel Dae Kim, an AAPI producer and champion of Gold House, spoke to Variety about the new directive’s impact.
“It’s a win-win for ‘In the Heights’ and Gold House, as well as the multicultural communities we are working together to elevate,” he said. “Our mutual hope is that our combined efforts will help make the film a huge success, and that it’s the first of many more cross-cultural collaborations to come.”
Actress Gemma Chan, another Gold House advocate, spoke to the power of supporting other communities.
“Since the first Gold Open for ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ I’ve witnessed first-hand what materializes when communities rally to support each other,” she said. “We’re in this fight to be seen, heard, valued, and advocated for together. So from our crazy family to our new one in Washington Heights, I am thrilled to unite with Latinx leaders and family members to make history–again.”
CAPE, the African-American Film Critics Association, Define American and The Blackhouse Foundation are among the organizations that have joined to help push this initiative.
“The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and NALIP are longtime allies who share a similar mission to advance balanced representation of how our respective communities are presented in media. We look forward to lending our full support to #LatinxGoldOpen in support of the ‘In The Heights’ opening on June 11,” said Gil Robertson IV, CEO of the AAFCA.
#GoldOpen was created in 2018 to support the successful opening weekend of “Crazy Rich Asians.” Since then, the movement has expanded with ongoing partners the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and AMC Theatres to support more than two dozen films to box office success, including “Parasite” and “The Farewell.”