Why ‘The Long Game’ Dethroned ‘Axel F’ on Netflix (Guest Column)

There has been a lot of media commentary lately about an independent film called “The Long Game” that knocked “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” from its #1 position on Netflix in the U.S. “The Long Game,” a period of feel -good drama starring Jay Hernandez, Cheech Marin and Dennis Quaid, has also turned heads by ranking as Nextflix’s sixth most popular film worldwide.

In my opinion, none of the various headlines fueled by “The Long Game” really understood the data aspect that was behind what happened with the film. They have not given credit where credit is due. The headline I would write would be: “Small-Budget, PG, Period, Indie Film Starring US Latinos as Heroes Dethrones $150 Million Hollywood Franchise.” Yes, it’s a bit long, but I hope you get what I mean.

The real meaning missed in this David vs. Goliath story is that “The Long Game” features everything Hollywood would normally run away from: a PG rating, a small budget and a mostly Latino cast…golf! No crossing lines, no gang hitting, no – none of what we usually see Latinos doing on the big screen. “The Long Game,” directed by Julio Quintana, is a film about playing Latinos golf. Thank you, Netflix, for putting this film, produced by Mucho Mas Media and Fifth Season, on your streaming service! This, on top of all the popular films and TV shows with Latino leads now available on Netflix, confirms that you are leading the industry in awareness of this massive cohort and its massive and continued growth.

For perspective, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” starring Eddie Murphy had about 30 times the budget of “The Long Game,” which “Axel F” offered just two days after it hit the Netflix carousel on July 13 (“Axel F”) dethroned. F” dropped on July 3). “Axel F” also received an R rating. There were lots of guns, car chases and explosions. Most of the black characters in the movie were cops, lawyers, and rich people who liked to shop, and that’s a good thing. The Latino characters, however, were narcos with tattooed faces and automatic weapons shooting through Beverly Hills, as well as prostitutes, drug smugglers and cocaine dealers.

On the other hand, American audiences saw in “The Long Game” themes of family unity, struggle, and Latino people overcoming terrible racist treatment and still achieving victory. There were no gigantic explosions or senseless beatings and no old stereotypes. I wouldn’t be surprised if the viewership wasn’t just Latinos, but all kinds of families, people who love golf, and a broad older demo who wanted a feel-good story where the planet doesn’t end with the traditional, excruciating 15 minutes of fiery explosions or a zombie apocalypse. What a new concept.

Let’s take a look: U.S. Latinos buy 29% of all movie tickets and account for about 27% of subscribers to streaming content platforms. And study after study, American Latinos say they want to see themselves in a positive light, not as a tired old trope. Perhaps that’s why “The Long Game” shot to No. 1 on Netflix.

RELATED CONTENT: ‘The Long Game’ Review: Young Latinos Earn Respect and Victory on the Golf Course in Uplifting Drama

A reality that most studio heads are well aware of is that if America’s Latino audience didn’t show up for your wide release movie, you won’t be able to open that movie at the old fashioned multiplex. We’ve all seen the stories about the economic strength of the Latino cohort (more on that below). Yet U.S. Latinos still only account for about 3.6% of all leads in TV and film, and Latino creatives remain under-indexed as directors and writers.

A real problem that many in the creative Latino community are grappling with is the concern that Hollywood knows that we (often in the majority) buy tickets to the movies with tired old stereotypes that they keep churning out. I’ve heard managers say, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” The success of “The Long Game” is a testament to the fact that it is indeed “broke.” When given a choice, like what just happened on Netflix, we can see that Latinos want to see themselves and their stories, especially if they are well done and ambitious. There just has to be more.

An example of this is that global business consulting giant McKinsey & Co. recently released a report concluding that by involving American Latinos in more authentic stories in front of and behind the camera, Hollywood could increase its revenues by as much as $18 billion per year. That should be music to shareholders’ ears at a time when media stocks have fallen in value. Perhaps by investing in the one cohort that is experiencing significant growth and also transitioning in terms of talent and storytelling, media companies could stop focusing on mergers to grow their bottom line and instead look to look at the sales growth that can take place with this hugely disadvantaged cohort. .

In 2019, Steve Forbes stated, “American Latinos are the cavalry that will come to the aid of the American economy. Last time I checked, Hollywood is also part of that economy.

Below are just a few data points that support this:

The bottom line: Hollywood needs to study these numbers and the success of “The Long Game.” Making meaningful, data-driven investments to reach the U.S. Latino cohort in English should not be a conversation about DE&I, but about P&L.

Jeff Valdez is an experienced writer, producer and director and partner at New Cadence Productions. He is the creator and showrunner of the Nickelodeon comedy “The Brothers Garcia” and the HBO Max sequel series “The Garcias.” Valdez is also a serial entrepreneur who was the founder and CEO of Si TV, the first English-language cable channel aimed at Latinos (now operating as Fuse). He was named one of the Top 50 Marketers in the US by Advertising Age and one of CNN’s Top 50 People Who Matter.

(Pictured: “The Long Game”)