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Black Movies Premiere on Wednesdays
The latest film to open midweek is Columbia's Booty Call, a seemingly innocent bit of raunchy fun that was released Wednesday, February 26, without incident. The New Line Cinema film continued a trend set back in 1991, when the studio first opened the urban comedy House Party 2, following violent premieres of New Jack City and Boyz N' the Hood.
Other studios have since followed suit, including Sony, Miramax and Warner Bros. Mark Gill, president of marketing and distribution at Miramax, confirmed to the New York Times the notion that black movies, such as his studio's rap documentary Rhyme and Reason, are given special scheduling.
"The total on 'Boyz' was 33 wounded, 2 dead, " Gill told the Times. "You haven't seen that again, because of the Wednesday opening."
That's not to say midweek openings have eliminated all the problems. Last November, three shootings occurred in parking lots outside of theaters showing Set It Off, about a group of female African-American bank robbers--and that was on a Wednesday.
Magic Johnson Theaters hasn't experienced such violence, however. Set in Los Angeles' South-Central area, as well as Atlanta and soon, Houston, the theaters have adopted a "zero tolerance policy." Guards are under orders to politely but firmly bounce any customers who seem to be about to cause a disturbance.
But chain president Kenneth Lombard says his theaters have taken things a few steps further. Lombard cites the cleanliness of the theaters, community outreach programs and warm customer service as key elements in the their violence-free environment. "It's about mutual respect," he says. Lest any moviegoer forget the rules, Johnson himself appears onscreen before each showing to remind them to check their hostilities at the door.
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