Eva Longoria’s ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Will Be First Movie to Premiere on Both Hulu and Disney+
Eva Longoria’s upcoming movie “Flamin’ Hot” will premiere simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu, marking the first feature film to debut on both platforms.
Following its world premiere at SXSW, where it won the audience award, “Flamin’ Hot” will land on the streaming services on June 9. The film, from Searchlight Pictures, will also be available on Disney+ internationally.
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“I’m so excited for the world to see ‘Flamin’ Hot’ on these two streaming platforms making this universal, inspirational story accessible to an even wider audience,” said Longoria, who directed the film in her feature filmmaking debut. “Now everyone can celebrate the joy, power and heart of this film that also happens to uplift Latinos both in front of and behind the camera.”
According to Searchlight, “Flamin’ Hot” is inspired by the true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) “who as a Frito-Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican American heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.”
Prior to the film’s release, Montañez’s claims were disputed by a Los Angeles Times report, which claimed he wasn’t involved in the creation of the spicy snack. Montañez disputed the Times’ story, saying, “all I have is my history, what I did in my kitchen.” Frito-Lay parent company PepsiCo issued a lengthy statement expressing support for Montañez, though it did not challenging the Times’ reporting.
“Eva’s inspiring film is a joy to experience and we could not be happier that it will now be available to even more families and audiences around the world,” added Searchlight Presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield.
In Variety’s review, chief film critic Peter Debruge praised the story as a “‘Rocky’-like crowd-pleaser that leaves audiences feeling more confident about themselves.”
“’Flamin’ Hot’ may commemorate a junk-food revolution,” he wrote, “but the film has real substance — heck, you could even call it nutritional value, which is more than can be said for the Cheeto.”
Lewis Colick and Linda Yvette Chávez wrote the screenplay. Annie Gonzalez, Emilio Rivera, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub and Matt Walsh co-star.
“From the moment I found Richard Montañez’s story seven years ago, I knew it would resonate with and inspire audiences everywhere,” said producer DeVon Franklin. “I’m so grateful to Searchlight, Hulu and now Disney+ for giving us this historic opportunity to bring his uplifting true story to over 200 million subscribers around the world!”
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