"Straight Outta Compton" made $60.2 million this weekend, but no one saw it in, well, Compton.
The city of Compton doesn't actually have a movie theater. So to watch the biopic of Compton-hailing rap group N.W.A., many Compton residents are going to the Cinemark Carson & XD in Carson, the nearest movie theater.
To meet demand, the Cinemark scheduled screenings all day, at every hour. They've devoted four screens to the film.
"A lot of people seem to like it," Lorreanne Yalung, a box office receptionist at the theater, told Business Insider. "Yesterday was our biggest day. The whole day was sold out."
Ironically, even though Compton residents can't yet watch the movie in their own city, "Straight Outta Compton" was shot on location.
"I haven't lived in Compton for quite a while, but it felt great," Dr. Dre told The Hollywood Reporter. "Everybody was really excited about the fact that we were not only making a movie but making it in Compton. It feels like Compton is another character." Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, is one of the main characters in the movie as well as one of the film's producers.
The city of Compton itself is currently in negotiations to bring an entertainment district to the city, which would include a 16-screen cinema.
“Seventy percent of that would be the movie theater, and then there would be an additional thirty percent retail space,” Compton City Manager Johnny Ford told CBSLA. “As they’re coming in, retailers are making in Compton, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Dre also said he'd donate royalties of his new album towards to the city for an arts and entertainment center for children. He said he was inspired to make the album, "Compton," after he watched an early cut of the movie.
