Theaters Adding More Security for 'Straight Outta Compton'

Movie theaters around the country are bringing in more security for 'Straight Outta Compton.'

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Straight Outta Compton premieres this Friday, August 14—but some theaters are already considering adding security to the film's screenings. Deadline reports that Universal Studios, while not directly paying for these security measures, is offering some kind of support for the theaters that want to bring in more security personnel.

The studio has not specified which theaters have reached out to them about this plan, or what the security measures will consist of. However, Universal did say they have "partnered" with a few theaters. 

"Universal is proud of our association with Straight Outta Compton, which vividly portrays the rise of five talented young men from underprivileged and oppressed backgrounds into one of the most influential acts in modern music history," the studio said in a statement. "The film has been seen in hundreds of screenings, all of which have occurred without incident. The Studio has not solicited enhanced security for theaters that will be showing the film this weekend, but has partnered with those exhibitors who've requested support in their locations."

Three years after the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., and just a few weeks after another shooting in Lafayette, La., it's surprising that we hadn't heard of theaters adding more security to big blockbuster screenings sooner. It is still unclear how just necessary any of this is—or how owners should decide which movies get more muscle. (Is Straight Outta Compton more of a public safety hazard than Trainwreck, the romantic comedy that the Lafayette shooter targeted last month? Who gets to decide that?)

Still, it will be interesting to see if this catches on, and if other studios jump the bandwagon—not to mention how moviegoers will react. 

[via Deadline]

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