Funke Akindele’s latest Nollywood movie, “A Tribe Called Judah,” has generated N1 billion at the box office, making it the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time.
The previous two of her films, ‘Battle on Buka Street’ (which earned N668.4 million) and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ (which earned over N636.1 million), are presently ranked second and third, respectively, among the highest-grossing films in Nigeria, behind this achievement.
The national premiere of the film took place on December 15, 2023. The opening weekend took in a whopping N113.3 million, making it the highest-grossing Nollywood opening weekend ever.
It’s also currently showing in the United Kingdom as well.
The Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) reports that it surpassed all previous Nollywood films in terms of box office receipts, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and all-time. It ended 2023 with a total revenue of N854.3 million, and in only two days into 2024, it surpassed the historic threshold of N1 billion.
The average cost of a movie ticket over the holiday season was N5,500 at conventional theatres and N7,000 at IMAX theatres.
Taking into account the large number of admissions and multiplying it by these ticket prices, it’s clear that the film’s capacity to reach one billion in record time was rather inevitable.
In ‘A Tribe Called Judah,’ five brothers—Emeka, Pere, Adamu, Shina, and Ejiro—played by Jide Kene Achufusi, Timini Egbuson, Uzee Usman, Tobi Makinde, and Olumide Oworu, respectively—are compelled to band together in order to save their mother, Jedidah, who is portrayed by Akindele.
Her 2020 film Omo Ghetto: The Saga broke all records with a staggering N636.1 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. Akindele eventually broke her own record in 2022 with the release of her comedy-drama “Battle on Buka Street,” which grossed N668.4. This made her one of only two directors to achieve this feat with only two films, and she was also one of only two to reach and exceed the N1 billion earnings at the box office.
Audiences have praised Akindele’s marketing efforts, which included intriguing trailers, strategic
social media campaigns, and striking advertising materials, for the box office success of her film.
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate on February 25, also joined fellow Nigerians in praising the actress for her role in the movie.
In his Saturday X profile remark, Obi praised the film, saying it depicted “some of the complex challenges faced by many less-privileged families in Nigeria, in their struggles for survival.”
He tweeted, “It is heartwarming to learn that ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ a movie by Nigerian Movie Producer, @funkeakindele, has achieved a record-breaking earning of N1 billion, in just 3 weeks of its release,” adding that the feat was a “historic moment in our Nigerian movie industry.”
It is also important to add that Funke Akindele’s meticulous marketing not only got people excited about the film, but it also makes them feel deeply connected to it, guaranteeing a sold-out theatre and a smashing opening.
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