Boots Riley’s made-in-Oakland independent film “Sorry to Bother You” had a huge first weekend, making $44,831 per theater in its limited run — more than twice the average of Marvel’s nationwide release “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

The absurdist dark comedy, about a telemarketer who has an existential crisis when he’s positioned between corporate evil and a working-class uprising, opened Friday, July 6, in 16 theaters in seven cities, including San Francisco and New York. It grossed $717,302 over the three-day weekend.

“Sorry to Bother You” is slated to expand to more than 600 screens across the country on Friday, July 13.

The movie was a slow build since its conception as a script by Riley nearly a decade ago, but it was a hit at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, then was bought and promoted heavily by distributor Annapurna Pictures.

Over the weekend, a diverse group of entertainers in music, movies and beyond tweeted their support for the film, as filmmaker and Oakland musician Riley and the movie’s stars made appearances at several screenings.

Riley “is being compared to many great directors, but the truth is he’s a one-of-a-kind unique voice,” tweeted “Get Out” director Jordan Peele. “Fun, brilliant and totally different than anything ever. Catch it this weekend.”

Added Kumail Nanjiani, actor on HBO’s “Silicon Valley” and co-writer of indie film “The Big Sick,” on Twitter: “Sorry to Bother You is fantastic. Hilarious, angry, bizarre, surprising. Nothing like it. I don’t think it’s possible to regret watching this movie. I LOVED it.”

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” was the top-grossing movie over the weekend, on 4,206 screens with an $18,025 gross per theater. “Sorry to Bother You” on 16 screens finished in 16th place in overall box office — just behind “Avengers: Infinity War,” which grossed $936,335 on 506 screens.

Riley, 47, is the founder of the rap collective the Coup and had been in the music business for 25 years before the release of his first film.

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In a interview with The Chronicle late last month, Riley said he already has plans for more film and TV projects, and next week his band will release a soundtrack for the film.

The early success of “Sorry to Bother You” adds to a strong showing for independent films this summer. The Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” appeared in the Top 10 highest-grossing movies in the U.S. for the third week. The horror film “Hereditary” and documentary “RBG” are other recent success stories.

Another film that takes place in Oakland, “Blindspotting,” starring and co-written by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, opens July 20.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub