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==Reception==
==Reception==
===Box office===
===Box office===
The film was originally projected to open to around $25–35 million, or as high as $43 million, in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-straight-outta-compton-814681|title=Box-Office Preview: 'Straight Outta Compton' to Dominate Weekend|author=Pamela McClintock|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=([[Prometheus Global Media]])|date=August 11, 2015|accessdate=August 12, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Budget">{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-box-office-projector-straight-outta-compton-man-from-uncle-20150811-story.html|title='Straight Outta Compton' expected to be another win for Universal Pictures|author=Saba Hamedy|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|publisher=([[Tribune Publishing]])|date=August 11, 2015|accessdate=August 12, 2015}}</ref> However, after the film grossed $5 million in its early Thursday showings, the opening weekend projections were increased to $50 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/news/ni58901650/|title=‘Straight Outta Compton’ Rising to $50 Million Opening|work=IMDb|accessdate=August 14, 2015}}</ref>
In the United States and Canada, the opening was continously revised upwards starting from $25 million to $60 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-straight-outta-compton-814681|title=Box-Office Preview: 'Straight Outta Compton' to Dominate Weekend|author=Pamela McClintock|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=([[Prometheus Global Media]])|date=August 11, 2015|accessdate=August 12, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Budget">{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-box-office-projector-straight-outta-compton-man-from-uncle-20150811-story.html|title='Straight Outta Compton' expected to be another win for Universal Pictures|author=Saba Hamedy|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|publisher=([[Tribune Publishing]])|date=August 11, 2015|accessdate=August 12, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Proj1"/><ref name="Proj2"/> It made $4.96 million from Thursday night shows which began at 8 p.m. in 2,264 theaters.<ref name="Proj1">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-straight-outta-compton-814870|title=Box Office: 'Straight Outta Compton' Powering to Impressive Friday Opening|author=Rebecca Ford|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=([[Prometheus Global Media]])|date=August 14, 2015|accessdate=August 15, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Proj2">{{cite web|url=http://deadline.com/2015/08/straight-outta-compton-man-from-u-n-c-l-e-weekend-box-office-1201499183/|title=‘Straight Outta Compton’ Set To Groove To $55M-$60M Opening – Box Office|author=Anthony D'Alessandro|work=''[[Deadline.com]]''|publisher=([[Penske Media Corporation]])|date=August 14, 2015|accessdate=August 15, 2015}}</ref>


===Critical reception===
===Critical reception===

Revision as of 00:06, 15 August 2015

Straight Outta Compton
Theatrical release poster
Directed byF. Gary Gray
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
  • Ice Cube
  • Tomica Woods-Wright
  • Matt Alvarez
  • F. Gary Gray
  • Scott Bernstein
  • Dr. Dre
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Libatique
Edited byBilly Fox
Music byJoseph Trapanese
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • August 11, 2015 (2015-08-11) (Los Angeles premiere)
  • August 14, 2015 (2015-08-14) (United States)
Running time
147 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[2]
Box office$5 million[3]

Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by F. Gary Gray. The film revolves around the rise and fall of the Compton, California hip hop group N.W.A, and borrows its title from the name of N.W.A's 1988 debut studio album. The film was released on August 14, 2015.[4][5]

Synopsis

The film chronicles the background history of the group N.W.A, its members and the dynamics of their relationships with each other, from the band's inception, to growing success and stardom until the eventual disbanding.[5]

Cast

Production

Development

In March 2009, it was announced that the film was in development at New Line Cinema, with writers S. Leigh Savidge and Alan Wenkus[9] and Tomica Woods-Wright, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre set to produce the film.[10] In May 2010, it was announced Andrea Berloff would write a draft of the screenplay.[11] In September 2011, John Singleton told The Playlist that he was in talks to direct the film, saying: "I can’t talk about it too prematurely about the stuff I'm doing because nothing’s come to fruition yet, but Cube and I are talking about doing the N.W.A. story. The script is really, really good, and so we're just figuring it out. New Line really wants to make it."[12] Also in September 2011, F. Gary Gray, Craig Brewer, and Peter Berg were reportedly in talks to direct the film.[13] In April 2012, F. Gary Gray was selected as director.[14] Gray has worked with Ice Cube in the film Friday and Dr. Dre in the film Set It Off. By 2013, the film had been picked up by Universal Studios, who, in December 2013, hired Jonathan Herman to write a new draft of the script and brought in Will Packer to executive produce.[15][16]

Casting

Casting calls began in the summer of 2010. There had been rumors of Lil Eazy E playing his late father Eazy-E, and Ice Cube's son and fellow rapper O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing his father as well. Ice Cube said of the movie, "We're taking it to the nooks and crannies, I think deeper than any other article or documentary on the group," he said. "These are the intimate conversations that helped forge N.W.A. To me, I think it's interesting to anybody who loves that era and I don't know any other movie where you can mix Gangster Rap, the F.B.I., L.A. Riots, HIV, and fucking feuding with each other. This movie has everything from Darryl Gates and the battering ram."[17]

On February 21, 2014, director Gray announced a March 9, 2014 open casting call for the film in Gardena, California via his Twitter account.[18] There were also open casting calls in Atlanta and Chicago.[19][20] Rapper YG auditioned to play MC Ren in the film.[21] The project was scheduled to start filming in April 2014 but was pushed backed due to casting delays.[22][23][24]

On June 18, 2014, Universal officially announced that the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton would be released theatrically on August 14, 2015. It was also confirmed that Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., will play a younger version of his father in the film. O'Shea Jr. will join Jason Mitchell and Corey Hawkins who will portray group members Eazy-E and Dr. Dre, respectively, in the film.[25] In early July 2014, casting directors for the N.W.A biopic issued a casting call for extras and vintage cars in the Los Angeles area for scenes in the movie. The casting call release stated that filming would begin in August 2014.[26] In July 2014, it was confirmed Aldis Hodge would portray MC Ren and Neil Brown, Jr. would play DJ Yella.[27][28] On August 15, 2014, Paul Giamatti joined the cast to play N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller.[29] On August 26, 2014, Keith Stanfield joined the cast to play Snoop Dogg.[6]

On June 16, 2015, Ice Cube revealed that a "Tupac scene" has been shot for the film.[30] Entertainment Weekly reported that the role of Tupac Shakur in the film will be played by newcomer Marcc Rose, who was once rumored to be cast by John Singleton in the upcoming Tupac biopic.[31]

Filming

Principal photography for Straight Outta Compton began on location in Compton, California on August 5, 2014.[32] In early September 2014, principal exterior shooting on a large post-riot set was observed on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood.[33]

Release

Marketing

On February 8, 2015, Universal Studios released the first official trailer. The red band trailer was preceded by an introduction featuring N.W.A members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.[34] A second global trailer for Straight Outta Compton was released on April 1, 2015 and attached with theatrical screenings of Universal's Furious 7.[35][36]

On August 7, 2015, Dr. Dre released the album Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre exclusively on Apple Music and the iTunes Store. Though not an official soundtrack to the film Straight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre said this album would be "inspired by the movie,"[37] "During principal photography of Straight Outta Compton, I felt myself going to the studio and being so inspired by the movie that I started recording an album," Dre said on The Pharmacy, his radio show on Beats 1. "It's an 'inspired by' album. It's inspired by Straight Outta Compton."[38] Dr. Dre says he will donate royalties from his new album to the city of Compton for a new performing arts facility.[39]

The same day, to help promote the film, Beats by Dre launched a new app through the website StraightOuttaSomewhere.com. The app allows users to create a meme by uploading a picture with the "Straight Outta" logo and fill in the blank with a location of their choice.[40] Some people did proclaimed that they were "Straight Outta" a certain city or locale while others uploaded funny images and phrases.[41][42] In under 24 hours, over 78,000 "Straight Outta" images were uploaded on social media sites. Inquisitr.com proclaimed, "It’s a successful viral photo campaign that is definitely bringing attention to the movie Straight Outta Compton."[43]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the opening was continously revised upwards starting from $25 million to $60 million.[44][2][45][46] It made $4.96 million from Thursday night shows which began at 8 p.m. in 2,264 theaters.[45][46]

Critical reception

Straight Outta Compton has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 87%, based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that's built to last, thanks to F. Gary Gray's confident direction and engaging performances from a solid cast."[47] On Metacritic, it has a score of 71 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[48]

IGN gave the film a score of 7.9/10, saying "Straight Outta Compton is an entertaining, powerful and relevant take on the rise and fall of rap group N.W.A.".[49]

Controversies

On July 16, 2014, a casting call for extras for Straight Outta Compton was released on the Sande Alessi Casting Facebook page. The casting call was looking for African-American girls for the film using an A-D ranking scale. Though the "A girls" category was looking for drop dead gorgeous "classy" women of all colors, the "B through D" categories were very explicitly linked with skin-tone. As the women get less attractive, the casting call wants the women's flesh tone to be darker, with the lowest listing calling for "African American girls. Poor, not in good shape. Medium to dark skin tone."[50] The casting call post went viral as people expressed their outrage of what they call colorism, sexism, and racism in the categorizing of black women.[51] A representative for Sande Alessi Casting said the ad was an "innocent mistake" and when it comes to casting "poor" people, they're also looking for women of various skin tones and body types. As for the A,B,C,D grouping system, Sande Alessi Casting says "it's the usual method [they] use to look for different types of people for any project and it wasn't meant to offend anyone."[52]

On August 12, 2014, TMZ reported that just seven days into filming in Compton, a drive-by shooting took place directly in front of the cast and crew members while they were on the set of the film Straight Outta Compton. A group of men standing outside the Compton Courthouse flashed gang signs at a passing car and passengers in the car opened fire on the group. No one affiliated with the film was injured or hurt, but one civilian near the set was shot. Despite the incident, it was announced that filming would continue to take place as planned in the city.[53]

In December 2014, during a show in Sydney, Australia, Ice Cube gave concertgoers a sneak peek at the first Straight Outta Compton trailer.[54][55] When asked about the trailer leak, executive producer of the film Will Packer stated "Cube does what he does." He added, "Cube is the man. We back him. And I love the fact that it's out there and it's getting the response that it's getting, that's what I'll say."[56]

On January 29, 2015, Suge Knight was involved in a hit-and-run incident that left one man dead and another hospitalized.[57][58] Witnesses claim that Knight followed the men after an argument on the Straight Outta Compton film set to a burger stand parking lot in Compton, California, and that the collisions looked intentional.[59] Security footage video was released online in early March showing Knight running over both men but which Knight's attorney said helps his client's self-defense claim.[60] Killed was Terry Carter, co-founder (along with Ice Cube) of Heavyweight Records and a friend of Knight.[61][62] The second victim, filmmaker Cle Sloan, suffered a mangled foot and head injuries.[63][64]

On June 10, 2015, MC Ren took to Twitter to voice his displeasure at the lack of exposure his character has in the Straight Outta Compton trailer, saying "Man fuck these bitches at universal pictures leaving me out the movie trailers tryin to rewrite history." and "When you have bitches work on a hip hop film that don't know shit about hip hop this is what happens. How the hell u leave me out after all".[65]

References

  1. ^ "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Saba Hamedy (August 11, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' expected to be another win for Universal Pictures". Los Angeles Times. (Tribune Publishing). Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  3. ^ "Friday Report:: 'Compton' Straight Up Hit". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  4. ^ "Upcoming Movies in Theaters and on DVD". Box Office Mojo. August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Straight Outta Compton (2015) Movie". Movie Insider. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "'Selma's Keith Stanfield to Play Snoop Dogg in Universal's N.W.A. Movie (Exclusizzle) - TheWrap". TheWrap. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Bansky. "This Is The Guy Who's Playing Tupac In The N.W.A. Movie". Uproxx.com. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  8. ^ Forest, Sam Vander (October 29, 2014). "N.W.A biopic band members cast". Iowa State Daily.
  9. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (December 18, 2013). "Ice Cube's N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  10. ^ Vilanova, John (March 7, 2009). "N.W.A. biopic, 'Straight Outta Compton,' in development". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  11. ^ Vilanova, John (May 3, 2010). "N.W.A. biopic takes shape: Your dream cast?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  12. ^ "Exclusive: John Singleton Says He's Talking To Ice Cube A | The Playlist". Blogs.indiewire.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  13. ^ Idowu, Ronke (September 22, 2011). "The N.W.A Biopic: Is John Singleton Directing Or Not?". BET. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  14. ^ Flemming, Mike (April 10, 2012). "'Captain America 2' Helmer Job Narrows As F. Gary Gray Focuses On 'Straight Outta Compton'". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Weinstein, Max (2013-12-19). "N.W.A. Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' Brings On Writer". Vibe.
  16. ^ Schillaci, Sophie (2014-01-07). "N.W.A Casting Call: Who Should Play Ice Cube, Dr. Dre In 'Straight Outta Compton'?". MTV.
  17. ^ Meara, Paul. "Ice Cube Wants His Son O'Shea To Play Him In N.W.A Biopic | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHop DX". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. 2014-02-22.
  18. ^ Director F. Gary Gray Announces Open Casting Call For N.W.A. Biopic (Details) | Shadow and Act. Blogs.indiewire.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  19. ^ N.W.A Straight Outta Compton Acting Auditions for Lead Roles – Project Casting. Projectcasting.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  20. ^ 'N.W.A.' biopic to hold casting call in Chicago - Chicago Tribune. Articles.chicagotribune.com (2014-03-13). Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  21. ^ The Breakfast Club Interviews YG & DJ Mustard. Rap Radar (2014-03-21). Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  22. ^ Ice Cube: NWA biopic set for shooting in April. The Voice Online (2014-02-20). Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  23. ^ "Straight Outta Casting Hell: A Refresher Course on the Possibly Reignited N.W.A Feud". Grantland.com. January 10, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  24. ^ Jones, Biz (July 30, 2014). "Ice Cube Reveals Why He Wouldn'T Cast Lil Eazy-E For N.W.A. Flick". Sohh.Com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  25. ^ Lee, Ashley (June 18, 2014). "First Look at N.W.A Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  26. ^ Diane, Megan (July 8, 2014). "NWA Biopic "Straight Outta Compton" Casting Call for Cars in Los Angeles – Project Casting". Projectcasting.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  27. ^ Gallagher, Brian (July 29, 2014). "NWA Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' Finds Its MC Ren and DJ Yella". Movieweb.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  28. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 29, 2014). "Universal's 'Straight Outta Compton' Casts its MC Ren and DJ Yella". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  29. ^ Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (August 15, 2014). "Paul Giamatti to Star in 'Straight Outta Compton' as NWA Manager (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Tupac To Appear In N.W.A. Biopic, "Straight Outta Compton"". BallerStatus.com. June 17, 2015.
  31. ^ Robinson, Will. "Marcc Rose to play Tupac in 'Straight Outta Compton'". EW.com. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  32. ^ Compton Gutter (August 7, 2014). "On Tha Sett..Of NWA Movie.. Straight OuttaCompton With F. Gary Grey,Jason Mitchell,Mac Mizel". YouTube. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  33. ^ Cooper, Kim (September 8, 2014). "Laurel Canyon After the Riot (Film Set) - Esotouric". esotouric.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  34. ^ Fischer, Russ (February 8, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton’ Red-Band Trailer: 'It's Non-Violent Protest'". /Film.
  35. ^ Mendelson, Scott (April 7, 2015). "Why Universal Teased 'Straight Outta Compton' With 'Furious 7' Instead Of 'Jurassic World'". Forbes.
  36. ^ "Straight Outta Compton - Official Global Trailer (Universal Pictures) HD ". Universal Pictures UK/YouTube. April 1, 2015.
  37. ^ Grow, Kory (March 26, 2015). "Dr. Dre Talks N.W.A Biopic, Eazy-E's Death, New Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  38. ^ "Compton: Dr. Dre's Grand Finale".
  39. ^ "Dre says he'll donate royalties from new album to Compton". US News. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  40. ^ "Straight Outta Somewhere". Straight Outta Somewhere. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  41. ^ mtv. "12 Times The 'Straight Outta Compton' Meme Was More Relevant Than We Realized". MTV. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  42. ^ Aug 7, 2015 (February 22, 1999). "Twitter Had Fun With The "Straight Outta Somewhere" Memes". TheRapfest. Retrieved August 9, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  43. ^ Paula Mooney. "'Straight Outta' Photos Go Viral: Straight Outta Somewhere Website Helps Twitter, Instagram, And Facebook Users Make Funny Photos". Inquisitr.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  44. ^ Pamela McClintock (August 11, 2015). "Box-Office Preview: 'Straight Outta Compton' to Dominate Weekend". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  45. ^ a b Rebecca Ford (August 14, 2015). "Box Office: 'Straight Outta Compton' Powering to Impressive Friday Opening". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  46. ^ a b Anthony D'Alessandro (August 14, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton' Set To Groove To $55M-$60M Opening – Box Office". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved August 15, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  47. ^ "Straight Outta Compton (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  48. ^ "Straight Outta Compton". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  49. ^ "Straight Outta Compton Review". IGN. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  50. ^ Grebey, James. "N.W.A Movie Casting Call Conflates Black Skin With Unattractiveness". SPIN. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  51. ^ Post by Sande Alessi Casting. (July 17, 2014). "The 'Straight Outta Compton' Casting Call Is So Offensive It Will Make Your Jaw Drop". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  52. ^ "'Straight Outta Compton' - Casting Agency Admits Mistake ... Not All Poor People Are Fat and Dark". TMZ.com. July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  53. ^ Walsh, Peter (August 12, 2014). "There Was A Real Drive-By Shooting On The Set Of The N.W.A Movie - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  54. ^ Blistein, Jon (December 30, 2014). "Watch Fan-Shot Recording of N.W.A Biopic Trailer". Rolling Stone.
  55. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (December 31, 2014). "First STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON Trailer Debuts at Ice Cube Concert". Collider.com.
  56. ^ Spata, Christopher (January 16, 2015). ""Straight Outta Compton" Producer on Trailer Leak: "Cube Does What He Does"". Complex. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  57. ^ Dillon, Raquel Maria (January 30, 2015). "Ex-rap mogul Suge Knight arrested on suspicion of murder". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  58. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (January 30, 2015). "Suge Knight, Music Executive, Is Questioned by Police in Hit-and-Run". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2015. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  59. ^ Suge Knight arrested in fatal hit-and-run, Saeed Ahmed, CNN, January 30, 2015
  60. ^ Anthony McCartney (February 9, 2015). "'Suge' Knight's Lawyer: Video of Deadly Wreck Helps Defense". ABC News. AP. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  61. ^ Rocha, Veronica (January 30, 2015). "Man allegedly killed by Suge Knight was father figure in South L.A." LA Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  62. ^ "Heavyweight Records On A&M Records". onamrecords.com.
  63. ^ McCartney, Anthony (February 3, 2015). "Suge Knight Taken to Hospital After Court Appearance". ABC News. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  64. ^ Kalilea, Vivian (January 29, 2015). "Suge Knight kills 'close friend' in Hit and Run". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  65. ^ "Why N.W.A. Legend MC Ren Is Pissed About Straight Outta Compton". Cinemablend. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
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