The Latine-inspired remake of Father of the Bride had something to celebrate after it debuted on HBO Max last Thursday (June 16).
According to Deadline, during the first four days it was available to audiences, the romantic comedy became the most successful movie to ever stream exclusively on the HBO Max platform. From Thursday through Father’s Day weekend, Father of the Bride was listed as the No. 1 movie on HBO Max and ranked in the top 10 most-watched films in Mexico.
In Father of the Bride, a Cuban family learns that their eldest daughter (Adria Arjona) has gotten engaged to her Mexican boyfriend (Diego Boneta) and is moving to Mexico to start their new life together. Along with Arjona and Boneta, the film also stars Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, and Isabela Merced. It is directed by Mexican filmmaker Gary Alazraki.
The news was met with congratulations when Estefan posted it on social media. Some of the fellow Latines who commented on the film’s noteworthy premiere included Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Selenis Leyva (Orange is the New Black), Laz Alonso (The Boys) and Estefan’s daughter, Emily.
During an interview with Remezcla, Estefan said Father of the Bride was “dedicated to our culture” but wasn’t exclusive to Latine audiences. It’s probably one of the reasons it did so well on HBO Max. “You don’t have to be Latino to watch [Father of the Bride] or to understand it or enjoy it,” Estefan said.
Boneta added that he didn’t think of the film as the “Latino version of Father of the Bride.” He considered it more than that. “I see it as the 2022 version of Father of the Bride,” he said. “It’s a story of Latinos, not a story about Latinos. It’s culturally specific and authentic but remains universally themed.”