You can't watch Straight Outta Compton in Compton
If you're looking to see Straight Outta Compton in its namesake city, you better wait for the DVD.
The N.W.A. biopic — which earned more than $50 million at the box office over the weekend — isn't playing in Compton because the city does not have a movie theater. "It's a low income area, it's been heavily dis-invested in," Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology at USC, told CBS 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."
Compton City Manager Johnny Ford said things are changing: Negotiations are underway to open an entertainment complex with a 16-screen movie theater, and Dr. Dre says royalties from his new album Compton, a companion piece to the movie, will be used to build a new arts and entertainment center for local kids. Retailers are excited to be opening up shop in Compton, Ford said, and "that's what it's all about."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Autumn Budget: will Rachel Reeves raid the rich?Talking Point To fill Britain’s financial black hole, the Chancellor will have to consider everything – except an income tax rise
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
