Written by Kianna Best on Aug 20, 2023. Posted in Production News

Blue Beetle crawls its way to the top of the box office

After wrapping production in July of last year, the much anticipated onscreen arrival of DC Comics’ Blue Beetle is here. Shot in Wilder Studios, Decatur, Georgia and San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Latin-led super hero feature stars Xolo Maridueña as the blue shelled protagonist. Charm City Kings director Angel Manuel Soto took to the helm of the Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer written production.

No strangers to the presence of the occasional superhero flick filming in their cities, Georgia’s Wilder Studios welcomed Blue Beetle for its principle photography in May of last year. The production then took to Soto’s home of Puerto Rico where the fictional Pago Island was shot against the backdrop of famed filming locations San Felipe del Morro and San Cristobal in San Juan. Touching on themes of gentrification, the Reyes holds on to their El Paso origins in their new home of Palmera, with their household décor as well as the environment that is created around them, in direct contrast to the glimmering futuristic architecture that pushes them further to the outskirts.

Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes in the titular role alongside other cast mates including Bruna Marquezine as Penny, Jaime's romantic interest, and Susan Sarandon as the villainous Victoria Kord, singer Becky G voicing the scarab, Raoul Max Trujillo as Conrad Carapax aka Carapax the Indestructible Man, Damian Alcazar and Elpidia Carrillo as Jamie's parents, Belissa Escobedo as his sister, George Lopez as Jaime's uncle, Adriana Barraza as Jaime's grandmother, and Harvey Guillen as Dr. Sanchez.

Knocking Barbie of its post, Blue Beetle has come out roaring garnering opening day box office figures of USD 10 million. The originally direct to streaming project is one of the last projects to be released from the slate of films before the reign of new heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Images courtesy of Warner Media