Latino organizations band together to promote ‘Blue Beetle’ amid actors strike

The DC movie Blue Beetle is set to be one of the first major Hollywood superhero movies featuring Latin American writers, directors, and actors. It marks a great moment for the community to come together and celebrate the artistic achievement, but unfortunately, thanks to the ongoing strikes, that has become a little hard to do. Well, not if these uninvolved parties have something to say about it.

27 Latin American organizations have stepped up to aid the promotion of DC’s latest and greatest. According to Variety, the organizations have united to sign and send an open letter to their communities to “amplify the work that countless Latino artists have worked so hard to create.” These organizations include the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), LA Collab, Latino Film Institute, National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC). The letter proposes the call to action using the hashtag #SupportLatinoCreatives to help bolster the efforts of those involved in the films creation. The letter reads in part:

“Stories are more than entertainment, they are a powerful tool for social change that fuels our collective movement to build a more equitable, just world for those who have been historically underrepresented and marginalized. Actors, writers, and directors are essential to this work. As we watch them do what they do best, we are reminded that their art influences how people think and feel about our communities – both at home and abroad. While we’re encouraged by some of the changes we have seen in recent years, we continue to deal with the repercussions from years of being actively erased and invisible on screen.”

Thanks to the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strikes, actors and writers are unable to promote any of their work due to the rules of the strike. This is a huge shame given, not only how much work went into making this, but that it is a celebration to see their community and culture represented on screen, in a DC superhero movie no less.

Marketing for movies is a huge part of what draws people in and boosts sales. Many of the releases that were set to take place over the summer have been pushed back in order to be able to properly market themselves with the actors able to go on talk shows, podcasts, and to magazine interviews. Blue Beetle appears to be sticking with its August 18 release date though, but with the marketing unable to utilize the stars of the film, it becomes harder to get the message out.

So it’s fantastic to see community groups throwing their support behind the film, with the letter going on to state that the organizations support the fight that actors and writers are facing, so it is up to the community itself to amplify the productions that the creatives currently cannot. Luckily for those involved, Blue Beetle has recently seen a boost in pre-sales, with the estimation for opening weekend going from $17 million up to $30 million.

Blue Beetle comes to theatres on Aug. 18.