Council Protests Theater’s Delay in Showing ‘Poetic Justice’

Cineplex Odeon Corp.’s decision not to show the inner-city romantic drama “Poetic Justice” on its opening weekend at the Universal City Cinemas was labeled “ill-founded” by the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday in a resolution passed by an 11-0 vote.

Council member Rita Walters’ motion also suggested that the Los Angeles County district attorney investigate whether the theater chain’s action violates state civil rights laws. District attorney’s office spokeswoman Suzanne Childs said that although the request is unusual because the office usually handles criminal matters, “we will look into the matter to determine what, if any, action to take.”

The council’s action came a day before today’s scheduled opening of writer-director John Singleton’s “Poetic Justice” at the Universal City multiplex. Cineplex officials have said they delayed the opening from Friday at that site because they were afraid of violence.

On Tuesday, the Council’s motion drew a sharply worded response from the Toronto-based Cineplex, which said the city representatives were acting without all the facts.

The council’s motion read: “At a time when Los Angeles needs to build better relationships between racial and ethnic groups, the decision by one of the nation’s largest cinema complexes to ban in its opening weekend a movie about young African-Americans in South-Central Los Angeles shows an extreme lack of sensitivity and should be protested.”

The motion continued: “It is especially egregious that Cineplex Odeon executives have sought to justify their action by stating that the theater complex is ‘programmed with an upscale demographic,’ words that on the surface sound too closely like the ‘whites only’ exclusionary policy that we have worked so long and diligently to eradicate.”

Walters’ motion came a day after the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP issued a statement saying the theater company’s actions were racist.

Cineplex President Allen Karp said in a statement: “I am astonished that the Los Angeles City Council would pass such a motion. It would appear they are not aware of all the facts. We exercise judgment with respect to each film, based on our historical experience as to whether there may be risk to our patrons.”

Cineplex’s concerns stem from violence that occurred at the Universal City theaters two years ago during the opening weekend of “Boyz N the Hood,” which Singleton also wrote and directed.

Although “Boyz N the Hood” had an anti-violence theme, it contained scenes depicting street gangs and shootings. “Poetic Justice,” by contrast, deals with the lives of a beautician and a mail carrier.