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Mexico has had its first – and hopefully not its last – blockbuster of the year with wedding romcom ‘Mesa de Regalos’ (roughly translated to Wedding Gift Table or Wedding Registry) with more than 1.7 million admissions, far surpassing other Mexican titles this year by over a million.

Produced by Spain’s The Mediapro Studio and Buenos Aires-based Pampa Films, its box office success is welcome news for Mexico’s film industry, which continues to see a slump in post-pandemic theatrical admissions, despite some gains.

According to the latest report from Canacine, the Mexican Film Industry’s Chamber of Commerce, theatrical admissions grew 33% in 2023 compared to the previous year but still lagged 32.30% behind its pre-Covid benchmark of 2019. The phenomenon is worldwide given the inexorable rise of streaming platforms, changing consumer habits and other factors.

Ranking second after “Captain America Brave New World” (posting $6.5 million) in the week of Feb. 10-16, “Mesa de Regalos...

Speaking at Madrid confab Iberseries & Platino Industria, Walt Disney Latin America execs, led by Leonardo Aranguibel, VP head of production operations & strategy and Mariana Perez, head of general entertainment, unveiled some of Disney+’s upcoming shows, all co-produced with multinational production company Btf Media.

Participants of the Madrid industry event were treated to a sneak peak of Disney+’s “Between Walls” pilot, starring Aislinn Derbez and Christian Vázquez, along with clips of their other upcoming shows: bio drama “The Incredible Story of Juana Pastrana,” fact-based series “Frida” and comedy “Mama Cake.”

The shows are just a cross section of the company’s average output which has produced some 24 titles this year across its unscripted, factual/comedy as well as kids & family areas this year, said Aranguibel. In a nod to changing viewer tastes and shorter attention spans, Perez noted that they’ve leaned towards shorter episode lengths.

Mama Cake

Set in Mexico City,...

“Una Pequeña Confusión,” an ensemble comedy starring “Ted Lasso” star Cristo Fernandez, Emmy-nominated actor-producer Juanpa Zurita, Ana de la Reguera (“Nacho Libre”) and Vico Escorcia (AppleTV+’s “Acapulco”) is set for a December theatrical release by Mexican powerhouse film company, Videocine.

The comedy revolves around two couples: Lola and Cuau (De la Reguera and Fernández), a progressive middle-class pair, and Iñigo and Majo (Zurita and Escorcia), a young conservative, well-heeled duo. Both couples turn to artificial insemination as a last resort to have children.

In a madcap twist based on actual events, a mix-up at the clinic results in each mom-to-be carrying the other one’s baby. The couples must navigate their vastly different lifestyles and parenting philosophies, finding common ground for the sake of their future children, all while dealing with societal norms and the complexities of love.

Produced by No Dancing Today and Gebo Films, producers of such...

Exclusive: A raft of Latin American creatives including director Chava Cartas and writer Juan Camillo Ferrand will now have representation in the U.S. after Wilmer Valderrama and John Pollak’s Allied Management Group struck a partnership with Monica Gil and Carolina Aymerich’s CRE84U Entertainment.

The deal will see CRE84U’s writers, directors and showrunners repped for the general U.S. market as the demand for authentic Latino storytelling increases Stateside.

In addition to Cartas, who directed the Mexican adaptation of Gossip Girl, and Ferrand, who wrote Caracol’s Escobar: El Patron del Mal, the client list includes writer/director Noè Santillàn Lòpez (Mama Para Rato), writers Ricardo Avilès (La Divina Gula), Hector Orbegoso Rivera (Todo Por Lucy), Veronica Angeles Franco (Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres), Rene Herrera (Emboscada), writer/director/actor Gerald Fillmore (Pequeñas Coincidencias), actor/producer Jaime Aymerich (Los Garcia) and showrunner/writer Mariano Calasso (El Señor de los Cielos...