‘Birth of a Nation’ opens debuts with $7.1M, controversy remains over Nate Parker’s past

Nate Parker's "Birth of a Nation" debuted at No. 6 at the weekend box office this weekend with only $7.1 million in ticket sales.

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation debuted at No. 6 at the weekend box office with $7.1 million in ticket sales. The movie’s premiere came amid controversy surrounding the film’s creator and star Nate Parker’s 1999 rape case.

The movie about the slave rebellion led by Nat Turner trailed far behind The Girl on the Train, which opened at No. 1 with a strong $24.7 million.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Birth of a Nation‘s dismal debut could have a harmful impact on the film’s awards chances.

Things get tense between Nate Parker and Robin Roberts during interview about rape

For weeks, the film has been marred by controversy after Parker, who directed and produced the project, made headlines for a 17-year-old trial in which a woman accused him and his friend Jean Celestin of rape while they were students at Penn State University. Parker was acquitted of all charges in 2001. Celestin was found guilty and sentenced, but his conviction was later overturned after the victim refused to testify.

Critics of Parker had vowed to boycott Birth of a Nation because of his legal past, and the actor was left having to answer to press about the controversy while promoting the film.

Birth of a Nation was at the center of a bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival in January, resulting in a record $17.5 million sale to Fox Searchlight.

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