Boots Riley has revealed his movie 'Sorry To Bother You' will not be getting an international release.
Boots Riley
The movie has been a hit with critics and audiences thus far, with $15 million made at the American box office despite a limited release in 1,050 theatres.
Despite that, it won't be given a wider release from distributors, and director Riley has claimed it's because it's a "black movie".
He posted on his Twitter account: "Even tho we'r outperforming a gang of other movies, distributors r claiming "Black movies" dont do well internationally and r treating it as such. There'r films that bombed here, that theyr distributing. Let em know wsup [sic]"
But Riley added: "We're still fighting to make it happen."
The comedy sees an African-American telemarketer - played by 'Get Out' star Lakeith Stanfield - begin using a white-sounding voice on the phone in order to become more successful.
Many of Riley's social media followers jumped to the movie's defence, and pointed to the huge success of the likes of 'Black Panther' and 'Moonlight' in recent times as evidence of their being an international audience for films led by a predominantly black cast
Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster 'Black Panther' - which starred Chadwick Boseman as the titular hero - was a hit at the box office, with a total haul of $1.3 billion.