Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Ordering Closed

FREE ADMISSION (See Ticket Policy at bottom of page)  

Standby Ticket Policy: On Monday night, standby ticket holders will form a separate line outside the United Palace. Event staff will admit them, first come first served, based on the theatre's remaining capacity before showtime.

6:00 PM: Doors Open; 7:00 PM: Film Screening; 8:40 PM: Talk back    

The movie is 1 hour, 38 minutes long and rated PG-13   

Movies at the United Palace with Lin-Manuel Miranda kicks off its 2024 season, entitled “Movies We Missed”, with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, about two Mexican-American teenagers in 1987 El Paso, Texas who explore a new unusual friendship and gain new understanding about their families while navigating the difficult road to self-discovery. 

After the screening, attendees will be treated to a special conversation between the United Palace’s good friend, patron, and neighbor, Lin-Manuel Miranda (also a producer of the film), director Aitch Alberto, and stars Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales.  This will be the first NYC screening of the film where Miranda, Alberto, Pelayo and Gonzales are able to celebrate the film  together due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, when the film was originally released. 

Miranda's 2023 Movies at the United Palace series was cut short by the writers' and actors' strikes, which also hurt the promotional efforts around many new releases. This led us to this year's theme of "Movies We Missed" that will both shine a light on films that were released during the 2023 strikes, and also some films that we originally planned for our 2023 season.  

Based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s beloved and best-selling young adult novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews. Released in the U.S. by Blue Fox Entertainment in September 2023, the film currently holds a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and received nominations for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Limited Release, and a Guild for Music Supervisors Award for Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted Under $10M, as well as making coveted “Best Of” lists, including Vanity Fair, The Wrap and LA Times.  

Along with Pelayo and Gonzales, the film stars Eugenio Derbez, Eva Longoria, Veronica Falcón and Kevin Alejandro. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of The Universe was produced in part by Limelight Productions, Big Swing Productions, 3Pas Studios, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 5000 Broadway Productions.   

Miranda has supported screenings at the United Palace since 2013 when he helped the theatre’s fund-raising campaign to purchase a new projector, screen, and surround sound system to return movies to the theatre after a 40-year hiatus. His guests in 2022 included Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Hugh Jackman, and Danai Gurira, and the film series attracted about 15,000 guests to the heart of Washington Heights. (Watch a short video about the 2022 series.)

Movies at the United Palace with Lin-Manuel Miranda is sponsored by the Miranda Family Fund with support from New York-Presbyterian Hospital.  

Aitch Alberto is a writer/director born and raised in Miami, Florida. She is a Sundance Episodic Lab alum and Momentum Fellowship, recipient of a Skowhegan Artist Residency, a Yaddo fellowship, and Latino Screenwriting Project Fellowship. Aitch’s directing efforts on "Aristotle and Dante” were nominated for awards at several film festivals and she was recognized as a Director to Watch at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Aitch has written on "Duster,” a 1970s-set crime drama series from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan for Max. She also served as a writer on AppleTV+’s series "Little America” from Lee Eisenberg and Sian Heder. She has been included on The Black List's inaugural Latinx List, as well as the Tracking Board's Hit List and Young & Hungry List, and NALIP's list of "Directors You Should Know." Aitch was named one of Variety’s 10 Directors To Watch and Indiewire’s 22 Rising Female Filmmakers to watch.  

Max Pelayo is a young actor from Austin, TX, passionate about every facet of the art of film, from telling the important stories of the characters he portrays on-screen to the hard work that goes on behind the camera. From a young age, it was clear that being an actor was what Max aspired to do, and he has always embraced and valued the work it would take to get there. Max stars as Aristotle Mendoza in the movie adaptation of Benjamin Alire Sáenz's novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Max can also be seen in Marisol, where he stars as Jaime DeLuna.  

Reese Gonzales realized that he wanted to be an actor when he was cast in his elementary school’s production of "Will Wonka.” Shortly after signing with an agent, he booked his first commercial which led to the booking of more than 15 commercials in the Latin and American markets. At age 11, Reese booked a lead role in the film “White Shoe,” which shot in Italy and premiered at the Ferragamo museum, also in Italy. After appearing in co-star and guest starring television roles in “Young Sheldon,” “The Terminal List,” and “Kidding,” starring Jim Carrey, Reese landed the role of a lifetime playing Dante in “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.” Reese attended the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) where he was accepted into the Acting Conservatory and participated in both plays and musicals. During his senior year, Reese trained in OCSA’s Musical Theater Conservatory. A musician, Reese plays the keyboard, guitar, and drums. He loves the outdoors, and cares deeply about environmental conservation. Reese describes himself as a major science geek with his hobby being astronomy. Reese was born and raised in Southern California.  

United Palace: The history of the United Palace begins in 1930 when it opened as one of five Loew’s “Wonder Theatres,” premiere vaudeville and movie houses located in four boroughs and New Jersey. The outrageously ornate architecture was designed by noted architect Thomas Lamb (Cort Theater, the former Ziegfeld Theatre) and decorative specialist Harold Rambusch (Waldorf Astoria, Radio City Music Hall).  Noted architecture critic David Dunlap described the ornate interior as “Byzantine-Romanesque-Indo-Hindu-Sino-Moorish-Persian-Eclectic-Rococo-Deco.”  With nearly 3,400 seats the United Palace is Manhattan’s 4th largest theatre. It hosts concerts (Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Bad Bunny, Wilco), TV and film shoots ("Only Murders in the Building”, “John Wick 3”), movie premieres (“Halftime,” “In the Heights,” “High Strung - Free Dance”), and other corporate and community events. The in-house selection of state-of-the-art technology updates the 1930 opulence for 21st century audiences.    

Miranda Family Fund: For over 40 years, the Miranda Family has championed community activism. They have created and supported institutions that have served both underserved populations in Upper Manhattan and communities throughout New York City, across the country, and in Puerto Rico. Luis A. Miranda, Jr. and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda are proud parents to Luz Miranda-Crespo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Miguel Towns. Now as adults, Luz and Lin-Manuel are married to Luis Crespo and Vanessa Nadal, respectively, with children of their own. They continue to foster the family’s commitment to advocacy for education, the arts, and social justice -- along with a sustained focus on relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria.   

NewYork-Presbyterian: NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services. A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives. Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR. NewYork-Presbyterian’s 48,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world. For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.   

Ticket Policy: Seating is general admission, first come, first served. The first 3,000 ticketed guests who show up the day of the movie will be let in. Ticket does not guarantee admission. Venue reserves all rights to restrict access to the United Palace if in its sole discretion it deems the theatre’s capacity has been reached. Doors will close promptly at 7pm. On show day, guests with accessibility needs should go to the ADA entrance at the front of the line near the marquee.