Spanish speakers are taking to Twitter to roast Netflix's latest movie for its unintentionally provocative title.Netflix has been promoting an upcoming film starring Demián Bichir and Christian Slater, titled Chupa. The film follows the adventures of a teenage boy and his young cousins in Mexico with a chupacabra, a mythical creature in Latin American folklore said to attack livestock like goats and drink their blood, after they find one living in their grandfather's shed. Although the title is meant to be a play on the legendary creature's name, the word chupa has another meaning: it is Spanish slang for "to suck" or "to suck off."
Many Netflix fans took to Twitter to mock the company for its usage of the word. While some criticized the streaming platform for its ignorance, others expressed doubt that the choice of title was a mistake due to how many of Chupa's filmmakers, including director Jonás Cuarón, are Spanish speaking themselves. The fact that the film had to pass through so many hands, including Spanish speakers, and still emerged with its vulgar title became a common theme among mocking statements from fans. Netflix has not yet made a public statement about the title.
What is Chupa about?
In Chupa, Slater portrays an evil scientist who is out to get the chupacabra, forcing the band of young people to help save it, while Bichir, best known for his roles in The Hateful Eight and A Better Life, portrays the children's grandfather. Others set to star in the film include young actors Evan Whitten, Ashley Ciarra and Nickolas Verdugo. Producers for the film include Michael Barnathan, Mark Radcliffe and Chris Columbus, best known for directing the first two films in the Home Alone and Harry Potter series. Netflix has advertised it as "An unlikely friendship, a legendary adventure."
Chupa marks Cuarón's fourth time out as director. Next up, Cuarón is set to direct El Muerto, a film about a masked wrestler with superhuman strength that takes place in Sony's Spider-Man universe. It is set to star Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer, who previously appeared in Sony's Bullet Train. Although there have been reports about the unlikelihood of El Muerto's release date, the film is currently set for a theatrical run beginning Jan. 12, 2024.
Chupa is set to premiere on Netflix on Friday, April 7, 2023.
Source: Twitter