Summer blockbuster Straight Outta Compton raked in $50 million, including ticket sales from opening weekend. Yet the film is not even being shown in the the City of Compton itself.
“It’s a low income area, it’s been heavily dis-invested in,” USC professor of sociology Manuel Pastor told the local CBS News affiliate in Los Angeles. “When you live in a community that doesn’t have that kind of retail, it’s a sign that the community is devalued and people within the community feel devalued,” Pastor added.
Compton might not be without a movie theatre for much longer. Negotiations are reportedly underway to bring an entertainment district, which will include a 16-screen cinema, to the city which is infamously associated with gang violence and crime.
CBS notes that Dr. Dre has announced plans to donate royalties from his album by the same name to creating a new arts and entertainment center for children living in the inner-city suburb.
The film itself is a biographical drama of the the ups and downs the group formerly known as N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) endured in their hometown of Compton. The group consisted of Ic Cube, Dr. Dre, the late Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella.
Ice Cube’s 24-year-old son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., plays a young version of his father in the hit film.
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