'Pariah' Opens Strong at The Box Office, Despite Limited Release

Indie film “Pariah” is proving to be this season’s little movie that could. The buzzed-about drama, which tells the story of two African-American lesbian teens, opened with strong sales this past weekend, despite its limited release in four theaters nationwide.

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According to Shadow and Act, “Pariah” earned an impressive $81,500 over the course of seven days. The film is expected to earn more as it opens in more theaters starting January.

Even more good news, the film’s director Dee Rees (pictured above) recently won “Breakthrough Director” at the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.

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Not to mention the film picked up two Independent Spirit Award nominations; the first for Adepero Oduye (the film’s lead actress), who was nominated for best actress, and a nomination for the John Cassavetes Award, which recognizes films made with a budget of $500K or less.