Watch (And Sing Along To) The First Eight Minutes Of 'In The Heights'

The summer heat has finally descended after a weird cold snap (at least in New York City), and it's just in time for the release of In the Heights, which comes out this weekend. Warner Bros. has enthusiastically rolled out the red carpet for the musical movie event of the summer, releasing the first eight minutes of the movie. That contains the entirety of the opening number which is named, you guessed it, "In the Heights."

Watch (and sing and dance to) the In the Heights opening below.

If you, like me, had heard the catchy opening tune in the first In the Heights trailer and rushed to listen to it on Spotify, only to find nothing but the (still-great) Broadway cast version on there, this clip is for you. While the Broadway cast version of "In the Heights" is energetic and raw and exciting, I feel like the big, sleek production of the movie version has it beat. Listen to Anthony Ramos' smooth delivery of his verses dance off his tongue just as he dances along to the rhythm of the street! Look at those heels of the salon ladies clack along to the beat of the song! See how happy Jimmy Smits is to be singing, "Good morning Usnavi." It's a visual and aural feast.

Director Jon M. Chu puts his musical chops on display in this scene, which turns the daily humdrum of life into an ecstatic musical number. It's a great start to the movie and a great way to hype up what is looking to be the movie event of the summer. While In the Heights is not perfect by any means, it's still a wonder to watch and this opening number is the perfect embodiment of that.

In the Heights stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, and Jimmy Smits. The script comes from Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the book for the stage play, while the music and lyrics come from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu helms the film.In the Heights will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9, 2021. After that, it's headed to both theaters and HBO Max on June 11, 2021.

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