Nigerian Entertainment News: Funke Akindele’s “A Tribe Called Judah” Emerges as the First Nollywood Film to Hit One Billion Naira in the Box Office
Funke Akindele’s cinematic creation, “A Tribe Called Judah,” presently stands as the inaugural Nollywood production to attain the remarkable feat of grossing one billion naira at the box office
Since its debut on December 15, 2023, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ has consistently shattered records every week: achieving the most significant opening weekend in Nollywood, securing the top spot for the largest opening under a female director, and claiming the title of the highest-grossing Nollywood film to date.
Current estimates indicate that it has become the first Nollywood film to surpass the one billion naira mark in the local market.
In just three weeks, the film has raked in a staggering one billion naira in Nigeria, poised to surpass the achievement of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which took 16 weeks to reach the billion-naira milestone.
Setting a new industry standard, the movie earned N400 million within a mere 12 days, capturing the record for the most substantial opening weekend in Nollywood, amassing over N122 million at the box office.
By December 30, 2023, the film had accumulated over N728 million, officially securing its position as the highest-grossing Nollywood film. The Nigeria Box Office on X reports that ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ maintained a daily gross between ₦55 million and ₦75 million during the festive period.
It stands as the fourth movie in Nigerian cinema history to gross over N376 million in its initial two weeks, following Wakanda Forever (2022): N499.6 million, SpiderMan: No Way Home (2021): N475.7 million, and Avengers: Endgame (2019): N407 million.
Throughout the holiday season, the average ticket price for the film in regular cinemas was N6000, rising to N7000 at IMAX cinemas. Considering the substantial number of admissions and multiplying it by these ticket prices, the film’s swift ascent to the billion-naira milestone is a logical outcome.
Despite the ongoing economic challenges, Nigerians demonstrated a commitment to cinema-going during the festive period of December 1-31, 2023. The Nigerian Box Office recorded earnings exceeding N1.65 billion and ticket sales surpassing 461,000 during this period, with 88 percent of the revenue generated between the 15th and 31st of December, as reported by the Nigerian Box Office on X.
Funke Akindele’s adept marketing skills have been praised as instrumental to the movie’s success, captivating audiences through compelling trailers, strategic social media campaigns, and promotional materials.
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