Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman” had a strong debut at the independent box office amid an executive order signed by President Trump which calls for a 90-day ban on the admission of any citizen of Iran or six other Muslim-majority countries, which would affect Farhadi’s Oscar attendance.
“The Salesman,” nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 2017 Oscars, earned $71,071 from just three theaters, marking a $23,690 per-theater average (which is also this weekend’s best...