New Must-Visit Movie Theater in Norwalk Defies Industry Norms: You Won’t Believe How!

A Night to Remember at Norwalk’s Milagro Cinemas

The atmosphere was electrifying in the largest hall of Norwalk’s newly established Milagro Cinemas. While other screens in the multiplex showcased “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Transformers One” and other crowd pleasers, a specific group was commemorating a film that didn’t quite hit the mark last year.

The film that had captured their hearts was “Blue Beetle,” a DC Comics creation about a youngster named Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña), who stumbles upon a bug-like armored suit that grants him superpowers, including flight. The film initially received positive reviews and had a strong opening weekend in August 2023, even beating the popular “Barbie” at the box office. However, “Blue Beetle” quickly lost momentum, eventually earning the title of the least profitable film in the DC Extended Universe.

But the re-screening of “Blue Beetle” just over a year after its initial release turned out to be a victory for Milagro Cinemas and its creator, experienced producer Moctesuma Esparza, 75. The audience was mostly Latino, many of whom were children dressed as the Blue Beetle, there to celebrate the first Latino comic book character to feature in his own live-action superhero story. The applause escalated when Maridueña and his co-star Belissa Escobedo made an appearance after the screening. Meanwhile, hundreds of other fans filled the main lobby, eagerly awaiting the start of the second sold-out show.

Milagro Cinemas: A New Age for Cinemas Amidst Challenging Times

This event marked a significant moment for the recently launched cinema: Even as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic challenges, and changes in the movie industry led to the shutting down of several beloved L.A.-area cinemas like Hollywood’s Arclight Cinerama Dome, Westwood’s Regency Village and Fox Bruin theaters and Landmark’s Westside Pavillion location, Esparza was moving in the opposite direction. He took a multi-million-dollar risk by opening Milagro at the Norwalk Town Square shopping mall.

His goal was to provide a top-of-the-line cinema to the largely Latino community, who he believes have been underserved for years. He envisages the theater as a cultural nexus between Hollywood and local Latino creatives, reminding studios that Latino audiences are some of the most passionate cinema-goers.

Esparza revamped an old, long-closed theater into the luxurious Milagro Cinemas. In a recent interview with The Times, he described it as a “theater that could fit in Beverly Hills or down the street from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.” The theater boasts a D-Box auditorium, laser projection, stadium seating, plush recliners, swivel tables, and immersive Dolby Atmos speakers.

Milagro Cinemas has already held several special events to enhance the regular moviegoing experience. The opening weekend party for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” attracted fans of the original film and children alike, while the premiere of “Joker: Folie à Deux” featured KCRW DJ José Galván.

Besides mainstream films, at least one screen at Milagro will always be showcasing Latino filmmakers and culture, as well as independent films. The expansive snack bar provides typical movie theater snacks along with street tacos, burritos, and chorizo supreme pizza. Patrons can also enjoy margaritas, sangria, and other beverages at the bar.

Esparza’s Vision and Mission

Esparza is banking on the documented enthusiasm of Latino cinema-goers, which he argues has been overlooked by the entertainment industry. Nearly a million residents live within a ten-minute drive of Norwalk, and 70% of them are Latino.

“Latinos attend movies more than any other group,” said Esparza, whose production credits include “Selena,” starring Jennifer Lopez; “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” starring Halle Berry; “The Milagro Beanfield War,” “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals.” “They represent 25% of the national box office on their own. Yet, we are the most underrepresented group in Hollywood. When you consider Mexican Americans and Chicanos, we’re even more underserved.”

Esparza’s assertion is backed by recent data. When “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, premiered this summer, 26% of the audience was Latino and Hispanic. The $56-million opening weekend surpassed other much-anticipated films like “The Fall Guy” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”

The blockbuster success of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was also propelled by Latino audiences, who made up 36% of the opening night crowd, according to box office analysts.

Despite this support, Esparza is concerned about the lack of diversity among industry power players, which influences the insufficient outreach to that very audience: “There’s something off with Hollywood,” he said, finding it “astonishing” that there are so few Latino executives and actors in an industry based in a city where almost half the population is Latino.

“Why is this happening?” he questioned. “Why have I been in this industry for 50 years, and in that time, I have never had the opportunity to pitch a Mexican American who has any kind of influence or power at a studio or network?”

His worries are shared by actor John Leguizamo, who criticized Hollywood during last month’s Emmy Awards. Although the actor acknowledged progress has been made, he said the industry “needs more stories from excluded groups.”

Building a Cultural Hub

Esparza’s vision goes beyond transforming Milagro Cinemas into a favored destination for moviegoers. He wants it to be a cultural hub as well.

“We have been lacking a community of Latinos, so here we’re hoping to be part of the solution, to create that community and social hub, where filmmakers, actors, and executives can feel they have a place where they can celebrate, discuss projects, what they have been doing, have done, and hope to do,” Esparza said.

He continued: “We want to be that bridge from Norwalk to Hollywood, where studios and streaming services that are doing the programming get a better sense of all the talent that exists — the capability and talent to tell stories that relate to their lives in a way that Hollywood has done for so many other communities, Italian, Irish, Jewish, African American, Asian American, and Native American. That has been missing for Latinos.”

Besides Milagro and his production projects, Esparza has also established Maya Cinemas, a chain of luxury theaters located in other underserved areas like Bakersfield, Fresno, and Salinas.

His mission is deeply personal. His most cherished childhood memories are of watching movies in downtown Los Angeles every Monday with his father.

“We would go to the Million Dollar Theater where they would have Mexican vaudeville. Then we’d go down the street to the State Theater or the Orpheum to see Hollywood movies,” he reminisced. A large mural of a young Esparza and his father by Robert Vargas now adorns the lobby of Milagro Cinemas.

So far, the venture seems to have resonated with the community.

“It’s beautiful, and I just love the upgrade,” said Alonzo Mendoza, 42, who lives a few minutes from the multiplex. “Just having it named Milagro says a lot — it’s speaking my language. It’s giving back to the neighborhood.”

Ramon Galvez, 43, of Pico Rivera, added: “I used to come here, and it was not comfortable. I didn’t even want to think about some of the stuff that was sticking on the floor. Now it’s a safe and clean environment. And it’s great to have a place to see Hispanic movies.”

Both Mendoza and Galvez had come to see “Blue Beetle” despite having seen it before. Watching it on a big screen with an audience made it a special occasion, they said. And, because last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike prevented the stars of the film from doing promotional tours, the Milagro Cinemas event had a premiere-like atmosphere, allowing the actors to connect in person with their fans.

“It felt like the kind of celebratory energy that you have at cast parties,” Esparza said. “They stayed for hours, just celebrating that we were all together.”