http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/weekend-box-office-girl-on-train-birth-of-nation-936292
Birth of a Nation, Parker's directorial debut, hoped to cross at least $10 million in its debut after transforming into the darling of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where a fierce bidding war resulted in a record $17.5 million sale to Fox Searchlight. Instead, the movie grossed $2.6 million Friday from 2,105 theaters for a sixth-place finish and projected $7.5 million weekend, despite strong reviews and and A CinemaScore.
The period drama, centering on the Nat Turner slave rebellion of 1831, seemed the ideal antidote to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and was widely viewed as an obvious contender in the upcoming Oscar race. But over the summer, Parker came under fire over a 1999 trial in which he and Jean Celestin, who later co-wrote Birth of a Nation, were accused of raping a classmate at Penn State University. Parker, who maintained the sex was consensual, was acquitted, while Celestin was convicted. (Celestin's case was overturned on appeal.)
Just days after Parker made new comments about the incident in interviews, it was revealed that the accuser committed suicide in 2012.
Birth of a Nation boasts a large footprint for an indie film and is one of the widest releases ever for Searchlight, and intended play to all audiences. On Friday, the majority of the audience was African-American (60 percent). In addition to directing, Parker stars opposite Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Penelope Ann Miller and Gabrielle Union.
Last edited:
