KINGSTON, Jamaica— Stew Peas, the Jamaican psychological thriller written, directed, and produced by Sosiessia Nixon-Kelly, opened in theatres nationwide on July 22 and closed its first weekend as the second highest-performing film at the Jamaican box office, trailing only the international blockbuster Odyssey.

The film, now playing at Palace Amusement cinemas across the island including Carib 5, Palace Cineplex at Sovereign Centre, and Sunshine Palace Cinema Portmore, drew packed houses from its opening night, with audiences turning out in strong numbers to support a story rooted firmly in Jamaican culture and folklore.

The Cove Theater in Ocho Rios had also had back- to-back sold out evenings.

Stew Peas follows Detective Tessa Riley as she investigates her best friend’s murder while a mysterious housekeeper unsettles her marriage, weaving West African spiritual traditions and Jamaican folklore into a distinctly local suspense story.

The film’s opening-weekend performance reflects a growing appetite among Jamaican audiences for homegrown film that speaks directly to their own culture and experience.

Online, the response has been just as enthusiastic, with local viewers praising the sharpness of the writing. One online patron hails Nixon-Kelly as “Jamaica’s Jordan Peele” for her ability to blend genre suspense with cultural and social commentary rooted in Caribbean folklore. To see Jamaicans come out in these numbers for a story that ours, told by us, means everything. I’m super grateful to everyone who bought a ticket and to those who shared their feedback good and bad online.”