'Straight Outta Compton' is by all accounts, a certified smash hit. The film is currently the number one film in America, raking in an impressive first week haul of $60 million, the most ever for an R-rated release. It's also been received well by critics, boasting an 89% fresh rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and respectable 72% score on Metacritic.
Hopefully all this buzz the film is getting will bring attention to the actual city that spawned N.W.A. CBS Los Angeles reports that the film isn't even screening in its namesake location because it doesn't have a single movie theatre.
The city of Compton and its neighboring regions in southern Los Angeles have long been characterized by the rampant crime and gang violence that floods its streets. It was from this backdrop that Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the rest of N.W.A drew inspiration for their music.
"It's a low income area, it's been heavily dis-invested in," says USC professor of sociology Manuel Pastor in the interview. "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."
The CBS report says that this may soon change however. Dr. Dre has already pledged to donate royalties from his new album 'Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre' to fund a new arts and entertainment complex for the youth of the area.
Additionally the city is planning to set up an entertainment district in the city which would include a 16 screen cinema. Compton City manager Johnny Ford said:
"Seventy percent of that would be the movie theater, and then there would be an additional thirty percent retail space, as they're coming in, retailers are making in Compton, and that's what it's all about."
