Straight Outta Compton’s top ticket sales came straight outta Atlanta

How Regal Atlantic Station scored the highest ticket sales for the N.W.A. biopic’s record-breaking debut


? The A-Town may be a long way from Compton, California but last weekend’s box office receipts tell a different story. Of the top 10 theaters around the country that catapulted the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton to a $60.2 million debut, nine were based in and around the City of Angels. But the No. 1 theater to contribute to the biggest August box office opening ever for an R-rated film came straight outta Atlanta.
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? According to the Los Angeles Times, Regal Atlantic Station sold more tickets to Universal’s gangsta rap blockbuster over the weekend than any other movie theater in the nation. 
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? ?? 1. Regal Atlantic Station in Atlanta
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? 2. Regal L.A. Live Stadium14
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? 3. AMC Burbank *
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? 4. Arclight Hollywood
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? 5. AMC Orange 30
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? 6. Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26
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? 7. Pacific Theatres at the Grove
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? 8. AMC Ontario Mills 30
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? 9. Arclight Sherman Oaks
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? 10. Cinemark 18 in L.A.’s Westchester neighborhood ??
? Surprised? Maurice “Moetown” Lee isn’t. In fact, the Atlanta resident and Compton native may have played a huge role in Atlantic Station’s No. 1 ranking. As part of a huge social network of local transplants with Golden State ties, he used social media to push out the word to his Cali crew that Atlantic Station would be their go-to theater to view the film opening weekend.
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? “We actually sold out four shows at Atlantic station a week beforehand,” says Lee, noting Friday’s 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:15 p.m., and 9 p.m. screenings as the showtimes they pre-ordered tickets for en masse. The West Up Down South database Lee is part of boasts roughly 3,800 active members and another 11,000 to 12,000 associated but less active members. He also helps organize and promote the Cali Picnic in Atlanta every year.
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? Of course, there are other factors to consider regarding Atlanta’s No. 1 ranking. After all, this is the reigning hip-hop capital and the love for the music and culture runs deep. That’s partly what attracted Lee to Atlanta nearly two decades ago. 
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? When he moved here in 1998, Lee was working for Priority Records — the same label that signed N.W.A. before its rise to mainstream stardom. He went on to start his own entertainment consulting firm Westway Consulting. Today he works with artists and clients including Fetty Wap, Raheem Devaughn, the Game, and Kendrick Lamar, as well as Atlanta’s One Music Fest, and the city’s annual Cali Picnic.
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? The city’s demographics certainly played an additional role in Atlanta’s top ranking. According to studio data cited by CNN, African-Americans represented nearly half of the national audience for Straight Outta Compton at 46 percent. Despite the population shift that may be occurring inside the city, metro Atlanta is still the black mecca. And as the only multiplex cinema centrally located within city limits, just west of Midtown, Regal Atlantic Station has little competition when it comes to mainstream movie fair. Add to that the diverse turnout drawn to a film about one of the first groups to open hip-hop up to a wider audience. Twenty-three percent of Compton’s filmgoers last weekend were white. Two decades later, N.W.A. is still demonstrating hip-hop’s buying power.
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?The irony is that the film didn’t even play in Compton, because there are no theaters in the city due to the chronic lack of commercial investment. Compton’s mayor 33-year-old Aja Brown talked about her mission to revitalize the city in a recent interview with CNN
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? As for his thoughts on the big-screen depictions of N.W.A. and his hometown, Lee says, “I enjoyed the movie. It showed everything you can possibly show in a two-hour time span. Cube’s son (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.) and the guy who played Eazy (Jason Mitchell) did exceptionally well. It showed the different aspects of the group. I only wish MC Ren’s contributions were highlighted a little more. For the most part it was a great film and, being a Compton native, it gave me a sense of pride.”
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