In The Heights Trivia | 56 facts about the musical film

“In The Heights” is a new musical drama film based on the musical by the same name by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The film is projected to be an Oscar contender. So let’s find out some trivia and facts about the new film.

1. In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film
2. It is based on the stage musical of the same name by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda
3. It is directed by Jon M. Chu
4. From a screenplay by Hudes
5. In the film stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits
6. The film follows a similar plot to the musical, telling the story of a corner in Washington Heights, New York City
7. Each member of the community pursues their dream of a better life
8. In the Heights was originally set to be adapted by Universal Pictures in 2008
9. With Kenny Ortega hired to direct
10. That version fell through
11. The project was eventually started back up in 2016
12. With Chu set to direct and Ramos being cast in October 2018
13. The rest of the cast joined in April 2019, and filming took place around New York City that summer
14. In the Heights had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021
15. It was released in the United States on June 10 in theaters and simultaneously streaming on HBO Max for a month
16. It received acclaim from critics
17. With praise for Chu’s direction, the story, and the musical numbers
18. On November 7, 2008, Universal Pictures announced that they planned to adapt the original musical as a feature film for release in 2011
19. Kenny Ortega was set to direct the film, which was slated to begin filming in summer 2011 with a budget of $37 million
20. However, the project was canceled in March 2011
21. Reportedly, this was due to the fact Universal was looking for a “bankable Latino star” like Shakira or Jennifer Lopez instead of unknown actors
22. In January 2012, Lin-Manuel Miranda stated that the film adaptation was back under discussion
23. In the meantime, he went on vacation and started to read a biography of Alexander Hamilton, which would lead to his next project, Hamilton
24. In May 2016, it was announced that Miranda would co-produce the film with Harvey Weinstein and backing from The Weinstein Company
25. On June 10, 2016, Jon M. Chu came on board to direct the film adaptation of the musical
26. In the aftermath of numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against Weinstein, his producer credit on the film was removed, with the rights to the film eventually auctioned off to Warner Bros. for $50 million
27. Warner Bros. was one of several studios wanting to produce In the Heights due to the success of Hamilton
28. To persuade Miranda and Chu, they built a backlot bodega with piragua carts and set up performances of songs from the show
29. The budget was set at $55 million
30. In October 2018, Anthony Ramos was cast in an undisclosed role, later revealed to be the lead of Usnavi
31. Miranda, who played the role in the Broadway production, watched Ramos play the part in the 2018 Kennedy Center production and praised him on Twitter
32. Miranda himself considered playing Usnavi for the film, but felt he was too old to do so
33. In January 2019, Corey Hawkins was cast in the role of Benny
34. In April 2019, Jimmy Smits, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz, Gregory Diaz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco were cast
35. In June 2019, Marc Anthony and Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the cast, with Miranda cast as Piraguero
36. Filming began on June 3, 2019, in New York City
37. The musical number “96,000” was filmed at the Highbridge Pool featuring synchronized swimming and shot over two days with 500 extras
38. Several changes were made from the musical, which first ran in 2005, such as adding references to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy and microaggressions, and cutting certain characters and songs
39. In addition, a reference to Donald Trump in “96,000” was changed to Tiger Woods
40. Christopher Scott, who had worked with Jon M. Chu on the YouTube series The LXD as well as the films Step Up Revolution and Step Up All In, served as choreographer
41. The film’s soundtrack album was released on June 10, 2021 – the same day as its U.S. release – on Atlantic Records/WaterTower Music
42. It was produced by Miranda along with Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman and Greg Wells
43. The film contains one new song, “Home All Summer”, which is the last track on the album
44. The title track was made available with the album’s pre-order on April 23, 2021
45. The song “96,000” was released via streaming on May 3, 2021
46. All tracks are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda
47. In the United States and Canada, In the Heights was released alongside Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, and is projected to gross between $25 to 35 million from 3,400 theaters in its opening weekend
48. A poll by Fandango Media found that the film would be the first seen in a theater since the pandemic began for 96% of people pre-ordering tickets for it
49. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, In the Heights holds an approval rating of 97%
50. Based on 208 reviews
51. With an average rating of 8.5/10
52. The website’s critics consensus reads, “Lights up for In the Heights, a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs”
53. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100
54. Based on 49 critics
55. Indicating “universal acclaim”
56. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale