From a scene in “Fast & Furious 6.” (Universal Pictures)Hollywood hasn’t always shown much interest in telling stories about Latino and Hispanic characters and communities. Almost 18 percent of Americans are of Hispanic or Latino origin, but they make up 23 percent of frequent moviegoers, defined as people who buy a movie ticket at least once a month. Almost 4 percent of characters were Asian, and 4.9 percent were of Middle Eastern or Native American descent or were multiracial. National Association of Theatre Owners president John Fithian said that diversity was good for his member companies’ bottom line. “Diversity is a great thing for our business, diversity in the movies, diversity in people making the movies, diversity in people attending the movies,” Fithian said, pointing to the “Fast & Furious” franchise as a model for the global audience that movies can garner by embracing diversity.

Source: Washington Post March 23, 2017 13:07 UTC