Do the Right Thing
“It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can...”
Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
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Cast
44 people
Danny Aiello
Sal
Known for
Léon: The Professional
Jacob's Ladder
Ossie Davis
Da Mayor
Known for
Doctor Dolittle
The Stand
Ruby Dee
Mother Sister
Known for
The Stand
American Gangster
Richard Edson
Vito
Known for
Platoon
Good Morning, Vietnam
Giancarlo Esposito
Buggin Out
Known for
Breaking Bad
Better Call Saul
Spike Lee
Mookie
Known for
Malcolm X
Mo' Better Blues
Bill Nunn
Radio Raheem
Known for
Spider-Man
The Legend of 1900
John Turturro
Pino
Known for
Severance
The Night Of
Paul Benjamin
ML
Known for
Escape from Alcatraz
The Station Agent
Frankie Faison
Coconut Sid
Known for
The Wire
Banshee
Robin Harris
Sweet Dick Willie
Known for
Mo' Better Blues
House Party
Joie Lee
Jade
Known for
Coffee and Cigarettes
She's Gotta Have It
Spike Lee Director · Bill Lee Composer Ernest R. Dickerson Cinematographer
Worldwide gross $37M · Budget $6.5M · United States release June 30, 1989
Box office
Budget
$6,500,000
Worldwide gross
$37,300,000
Gross vs. budget
5.7×
Production
Universal Pictures
Production · Studio
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
Production
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Production
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · Italian · Korean · Spanish
Release dates
France · May 19, 1989
Premiere · Cannes Film Festival
United States · June 30, 1989
Limited theatrical
United States · January 11, 1990
Physical · VHS
United States
June 25, 1989 · Premiere · Hollywood, California
July 21, 1989 · Theatrical
July 13, 1991 · TV · CBS
October 18, 1995 · Physical · Criterion Special Edition LaserDisc
July 7, 1998 · Physical · DVD
February 20, 2001 · Physical · Criterion DVD
September 6, 2006 · Digital · Amazon Prime Video
June 30, 2009 · Physical · 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray / DVD
January 10, 2012 · Digital · Vudu / Google Play / Microsoft Video
October 12, 2017 · Digital · Movies Anywhere
July 23, 2019 · Physical · Criterion Blu-ray
February 2, 2021 · Physical · 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Argentina
August 31, 1989 · Theatrical
Australia
December 14, 1989 · Theatrical
February 15, 2025 · Physical · 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Canada
February 2, 2021 · Physical · 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
France
June 14, 1989 · Theatrical
October 24, 2001 · Physical · DVD
February 3, 2013 · Physical · Blu-Ray
February 3, 2021 · Physical · 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Germany
July 13, 1989 · Theatrical
December 14, 2018 · Physical · Turbine Steel Collection Blu-ray
February 11, 2021 · Physical · 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Greece
July 27, 1989 · Theatrical
Ireland
June 23, 1989 · Theatrical
Italy
November 17, 1989 · Theatrical
October 25, 2001 · Physical · 3 Spike Lee Joints DVD
May 16, 2019 · Physical · 3 Spike Lee Joints Blu-ray
Japan
April 21, 1990 · Theatrical
January 25, 1991 · Physical · LaserDisc
Netherlands
July 27, 1989 · Theatrical
June 10, 2004 · Physical · DVD
October 9, 2013 · Physical · Blu ray
Poland
November 21, 2001 · TV
Portugal
September 1, 1989 · Theatrical
Spain
October 3, 1989 · Theatrical · ICAA: 18952
United Kingdom
June 23, 1989 · Theatrical
May 19, 2007 · Physical · With Get on the Bus DVD
July 6, 2009 · Physical · DVD
November 4, 2013 · Physical · Blu-ray
August 26, 2019 · Physical · Criterion Blu-ray
January 29, 2021 · Physical · 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Zavvi Exclusive SteelBook)
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