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*This week’s opening of the urban drama “ATL” is causing a lot of pre-emptive activity among malls throughout Atlanta, where the movie was shot.
A memo obtained by the city’s Channel 2 Action News reveals the company General Growth, which owns local malls Cumberland and Perimeter, sent a memo warning staff at its properties showing the film to “prepare” for its release on Friday, stating: "The movie could cause behavior problems among customers.”
Greg Alexander, owner of Cascade Skating Rink where parts of the “ATL” were filmed, was shown the memo by Action News. He said in response: "I think it has a possibility that it could be discriminatory."
Alexander says he has written proof from the filmmakers that the movie, starring rappers T.I., Big Boi and actor Evan Ross, would not contain gratuitous sex and violence.
"And so to read this memo now, it's basically going against the agreement that we had with Warner Bros," he said.
A spokesman for General Growth Properties says the company was only trying to avoid the problems it had with crowds following another movie that was introduced a few years ago.
"ATL," rated PG-13, is billed as an uplifting coming-of-age story about four boys preparing for life after high school. The story is loosely based on the early years of hip hop producer Dallas Austin and TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins while growing up in the city.
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Contact Cynthia Bolden at 661-250-7300 / bolden@eurweb.com or Gerald Radford at 323-230-9368