“Everybody Loves Jenifa” drives cinema sales to record N1bn week

New movie releases such as “Everybody Loves Jenifa” and “Alakada! Bad and Boujee” have pushed Nigerian cinemas to record ticket sales of over N1 billion in one week.

According to Nile Media Entertainment Group data, tickets worth N1.02 billion were sold between December 20 and 26, 2024, a record high for Nigerian cinemas. “Today, we’re proud to share an incredible milestone: the Nigerian box office has crossed 1 billion Naira in a single week in 2024,” the independent entertainment company stated.

A breakdown of the numbers across the week revealed that December 26 was the highest-grossing day in box office history, with ticket sales totalling N256.4 million. More than 47,500 tickets were sold on said day, making it the third-highest day for ticket sales behind 55,449 on December 26, 2019, and 52,563 on December 26, 2018.

Read also: ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ becomes fastest Nollywood movie to hit N500 million

“Everybody Loves Jenifa” continued its impressive run, becoming the first movie to gross over N100 million in a single day, surpassing its previous record of N89.8 million. Within the week, four titles soared past N25 million in one day, five titles hit N15 million in a day, six titles grossed N10 million in one day, and eight titles grossed over N5 million.

Industry data from the Nigerian Box Office X page revealed ticket sale performance in the week was led by “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” which made N426.9 million, Mufasa with N173 million, “Alakada: B&B” with N127.3 million, “The Waiter” with N104.2 million, and “Moana 2” with N52.7 million.

These sales are despite an uptake in the cost of living in a country grappling with record-high inflation of 34.6 percent as of November. Nile Media highlighted that the N1.02 billion figure reflects the passion, creativity, and resilience of the film industry.

“It is proof that our stories matter, that audiences are eager to connect, and that together, we can achieve greatness,” it stated.

Funke Akindele’s movie, “Everyone Loves Jenifa,” is at the forefront of this impressive showing. The movie has had 153,800 total ticket sales as of December 26 and has made N782.8 million in 14 days, on track to surpass the N1 billion naira mark in fewer days than “A Tribe Called Judah,” her previous record-breaking film, which hit a billion in ticket sales in 21 days.

The movie is already the fastest Nollywood film to gross N500 million, hitting this milestone in just 12 days. This impressive run has made Akindele predict that the movie may hit N5 billion in total box office revenue.

The movie’s appeal extends beyond Nigerian shores, earning $100,000 during its opening weekend across nine international territories, including the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. This is the first time a Nollywood film has achieved such earnings across these regions.