Apple has struggled to find its footing as it tries to go Hollywood. Critics were lukewarm at best about “The Morning Show,” the star-studded, big-budget flagship series on Apple TV Plus, the streaming platform that went live Nov. 1. And now one of Apple’s first films, “The Banker,” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie, is in limbo after the company pulled it from a theatrical run that was scheduled to start Friday.

It seemed like just the right project for Apple to introduce itself as a player in the movie business. With two stars from the “Avengers” series leading the cast, “The Banker” is based on the real-life story of two black entrepreneurs who triumphed over the racist business practices of mid-20th-century America. Apple had announced a theatrical release and started an awards push, only to halt the plan after a daughter of one of the film’s protagonists raised allegations of sexual abuse involving her family.

It’s an inopportune stumble for the company, which has pitted itself against Netflix and Amazon, not to mention the Walt Disney Company, as it tries to make headway in a business that has nothing to do with the selling of iPhones and MacBook Pros.

On Nov. 20, Apple pulled “The Banker” from the prestigious closing-night slot at the American Film Institute’s annual festival in Los Angeles. The company said it and the filmmakers needed time to look into the accusations by Cynthia Garrett, whose father was the basis for Bernard Garrett, the character played by Mr. Mackie.