'Chi-Raq' Did 'Phenomenal' Business In Chicago This Weekend

By Emma G. Gallegos in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 7, 2015 7:09PM

Chi-Raq (Giphy)

It looks like all that controversy over Spike Lee's latest film, on Chicago's entrenched gun violence problem, ended up being good for business. There was a lot of suspicion that Lee, taking on the city's least favorite nickname as the film's title, wouldn't do right by Chicago. But it sounds as if Chicagoans were curious to see for themselves: they showed up in droves to see Chi-Raq over its opening weekend.

The Wrap reports that the film did pretty well at the box office overall in its limited release. It took in an estimated $1.2 million from 305 theaters. On average, it took in $3,900 per screen. But if you look at Chicago alone, the film took in $15,000 per screen.

Amazon tells The Wrap that they're happy:

“The numbers out of Chicago are phenomenal,” said Bob Berney, head of marketing and distribution for Amazon Studios. “In Chicago, we estimate a $15,000-plus per-screen average on 22 screens. And in the majority of our 305 theaters we’re one of the top three grossing films.

“All of this is a testament to the support of the local Chicago community and, across the board, the urgency of the situation. ‘Chi-Raq’ has been recognized as a call to action to stop the violence plaguing cities across the country, not only Chicago,” he added.

Of course, just because Chicagoans saw the movie doesn't mean they like it. Chicagoist resident film critic Joel Wicklund called the film "awkward, ham-fisted and tonally schizophrenic" in his review. Other reviews were mixed. Here are a couple impressions from some locals who caught the film over the weekend: