'IN THE HEIGHTS' - Watch The First 8 Minutes

There's still one more day until the release of IN THE HEIGHTS! The flick everyone is talking about, but we've already got your exclusive look at the AMAZING eight minute opening scene.

After a year of pandemic-induced delays, we're finally getting the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway smash.

The Warner Bros. musical, directed by Jon M. Chu, is what Chu calls “a vaccine for your soul" and we can surely use one of those here in New York. “We have to invite people into our world,” Chu says of portraying any underrepresented culture. “After a pandemic especially, people need leadership to open up their hearts again. And ‘In the Heights’ is the ultimate connection movie.”

IN THE HEIGHTS takes place in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan and tells the story of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos of 'Hamilton'), a bodega owner who longs to return home to Dominican Republic.

Anthony Ramos to Variety:

You don’t see 75 Latinos dancing in the middle of street and singing about pride and repping their block [in films]. This movie created a space for us, not only to be in it, but to be ourselves in a major motion picture and give people a glimpse into a life, especially what it is like to be Latino in New York. That’s specific. It comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s Mexican, it’s Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian, Peruvian.

Fun Fact : Most of the background dancers in the movie are said to be actual dancers from the original broadway show and I love to see it 🙌🏾

In The Heights is in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBOMax THIS THURSDAY.