Gabrielle Union, the star of the new movie ?The Birth of a Nation?, understands why some people, in particular survivors of rape, have decided not to go see Nate Parker?s film. The film opened on August 7th and has been a dismal box office failure, failing to crack the top five of the weekend and living up to the Oscar hype that has been growing since January. At the box office, the movie has failed to meet even the most conservative estimates. Fox Searchlight bought the film for$17.5 million dollars and before it's release, lowered the box office estimate to a paltry $9 million. The disastrous $7.1 million dollar take has caught the studio off guard. The movie has been dogged by a decade's old charge against Parker. In 1999, Parker was put on trial for rape. Parker was acquitted. The victim in the case took her own life in 2012. In numerous interviews Parker has been defiant, refusing to apologize and acting as though he were the victim. Union, herself a survivor of rape, has admitted to struggling with the allegations against the director. I support you if you don?t want to see the film. I absolutely understand and respect that. I can?t sell the film ? We [the cast] are okay if you have to sit this one out."