In a cruel twist of irony, Compton residents who wish to see "Straight Outta Compton" will first have to get out of Compton.
That's because Compton doesn't have a movie theater, reports CBS Los Angeles.
"It’s a low income area, it’s been heavily dis-invested in,” USC professor of sociology Manuel Pastor explained to the station. “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.”
Which is not to say Compton today is the same city as the beleaguered one portrayed in the movie. The city saw 84 homicides in 1989, the year after N.W.A. released "Straight Outta Compton," the album that inspired this year's movie. By 2014, the murder rate had dipped to 26 for the city of 100,000. The Guardian notes that's still more than three times the rate for greater Los Angeles, but an encouraging sign nonetheless.
Nearly every major category of crime -- including burglaries, arson, rapes and assaults -- has also dipped in recent years.
And even though citizens have to leave the city to see the movie, the area will benefit from its production: Dr. Dre, one of the hip hop moguls featured in the film, plans to donate all the royalties from his recently released album to build a performing arts center there.