On the heels of a rape case scandal, slavery epic “The Birth of a Nation” ultimately couldn’t live up to its initial hypeย this weekend, grossing only $7.1 million.
Playing in 2,105 locations, Nate Parker’s film fromย Fox Searchlight was expected to clear $9 million as of earlier last week — still low figures for a title that was bought by the indie distributor forย a record-breaking $17.5 millionย at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The bright sideย is that the R-rated dramaย has a solid A CinemaScore among those surveyed on opening night, indicating it could play in the weeks to come off positive word of mouth.