Sunday Ehigiator
In two weeks of its release, Veteran Actress, Funke Akindele made history with her new movie, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, became the highest-grossing Nollywood film ever with a reported N1 billion earnings at the box office.
This feat surpassed her previous films ‘Battle on Buka Street’, which gulped N668.4 million, and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, which made over N636.1 million currently sitting as the second and third highest-grossing film in the Nigerian box office respectively.
The movie premiered on December 15, 2023, across cinemas nationwide and kick-started with a total of N113.3 million, which made it the highest-grossing Nollywood opening weekend for the year.
In a short while, A Tribe Called Judah became a massive hit, with sold-out showings across the country. It’s also currently showing in the United Kingdom as well.
According to the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), it finished 2023 with a total gross of N854.3 million, which automatically made it the highest-grossing Nollywood title for 2023 and the highest ever, and has now crossed the N1 billion historic mark in just two days into 2024.
During the festive season, the average ticket price for watching a movie in regular cinemas was N5,500, while it goes up to N7,000 at IMAX cinemas.
Considering the substantial number of admissions and multiplying it by these ticket prices, it becomes evident that the film’s ability to surpass a billion in record time was a straightforward outcome.
‘A Tribe Called Judah’ follows five brothers: Jide Kene Achufusi as Emeka Judah, Timini Egbuson as Pere Judah, Uzee Usman as Adamu Judah, Tobi Makinde as Shina Judah, and Olumide Oworu as Ejiro Judah, who must come together to rob a company to save their mother, played by Akindele as Jedidah Judah.
In 2020, her film Omo Ghetto: The Saga raked a whooping N636.1 million setting a new record for the highest-grossing movie during that period. Not long after in 2022, the release of her next film: ‘Battle on Buka Street’ a comedy-drama, saw Akindele break her own record as the movie earned N668.4 making her one of two filmmakers to reach and surpass the N1 billion gross at the box office and the only one to do it with just two movies.
Akindele has been lauded for her effective marketing skills as the key to her movie’s success at the cinema by captivating audiences with compelling trailers, strategic social media campaigns, and promotional materials.
Her well-thought-out promotion not only generates widespread anticipation but also establishes a strong connection between the audience and the film, ensuring a packed cinema hall and a huge cinematic debut.
With a social media following of over 16 million followers on Instagram alone, (the third most followed woman in Nigeria) the award-winning actor has contributed to the appeal of her films as she has consistently proven to serve her audience with quality films with good storytelling.
Funke Akindele’s films predominantly resonate with audiences from the South-west geo-political zone, proving advantageous for her.
This alignment is particularly significant considering that the South West region holds 57 per cent of the total 81 cinemas in Nigeria, as reported by Statista.
