Industry- Straight Outta Compton

Question 1

What success (both commercially and critically) did Straight Outta Compton achieve?

Answer 1

Commercial Success - it was the highest grossing music biopic of all time. Made over $200 million at the box office.

Critical Success - Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Question 2

What was the budget of S.O.C?

Answer 2

$50 million budget.

Question 3

Who Distributed S.O.C?

Answer 3

Distributed by major studio Universal (vertically integrated conglomerate).

Question 4

Who produced S.O.C?

Answer 4

Produced by Legendary Pictures:

• Hedge- fund and wall street private equity investment (An investor in ahedge fund will investtheir money in one go. Due to theinvestmentsmade by aprivate equity fund, investors are required to commit the capital for a certain time period).
• Co- Produces with major studios e.g. Warner and Universal who also distribute their films.
• Subsidary of Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group.
• Legendary Pictures are associated with making high- quality, commercial, mainstream entertainment including blockbuster film franchises e.g. Batman trilogy and Jurassic World. Their films have made more than $12 billion worldwide at the box office.

Question 5

Who Co- Produced S.O.C? And why is this significant?

Answer 5

• Co- produced by Ice Cube and Dr Dre.
• This is significant as N.W.A was a band that went through quite a few controversies. Ice Cube had a dispute about royalties with the band’s manager. Dr Dre was charged with attacking a female host of a rap show, Dre was also arrested for assaulting a record producer and a police officer.
• Dre and Cube might alter the truth a bit to show them in a better and more positive light and portray a more sanitised version of themselves, they might have too much control over the film and this could effect the historical accuracy of it.
• However, them actually working on the film themselves and them being well-known artists would lead to more funding for the film.

Question 6

How did Universal Market S.O.C?

Answer 6

• Official ‘red-band’ trailer, including Dre and Cube intro. The trailer was attached to the cinematic release of Furious 7.
• StraightOuttaSomewhere.com (where people including lots of celebrities were making their own Straight Outta Alton or Straight Outta Alresford etc. Logos/ Memes).
• Official Soundtrack Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr Dre (Universal Music).

Question 7

How was S.O.C regulated?

Answer 7

• The BBFC gave it a 15 for the theatrical version (there was very strong language, also used to authoritative figures, however the political context of the film- they were standing up for disenfranchised American urban, primarily black communities and the attack on Rodney King, where the police who beat him being found not guilty by an all-white jury leading to blacks civilians feeling a large injustice had been done to them and this leading to the LA riots- meant that the bad language and violence was allowed a bit more leniency.)
• The BBFC gave it an 18 certificate for the Unrated Director’s Cut.