Funke Akindele’s “A Tribe Called Judah” becomes the first Nollywood movie to gross one billion naira at the box office

“A Tribe Called Judah” by Funke Akindele is currently the first Nollywood film to gross one billion naira at the box office.

‘A Tribe Called Judah’ has broken a record every week since its premiere on December 15, 2023: the biggest weekend opening in Nollywood; the largest opening for a female director ever; and the highest grossing Nollywood film ever. According to estimates, it is currently the first Nollywood film to gross N1 billion in its local market.

The film has already grossed N1 billion in three weeks in Nigeria and will shortly exceed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which had just reached the billion-naira milestone after 16 weeks in theaters.

With a box office earnings of N400 million within just 12 days, the movie set a new standard in the industry. Notably, it secured the record for the biggest weekend opening in Nollywood, amassing over N122 million at the box office.

As of 30th December, 2023, the movie made over N728M which made it officially the highest grossing Nollywood film. According to the Nigeria Box Office on X, ‘A Tribe called Judah’ grossed ₦55M – ₦75M a day during the festive period.

The movie also became the 4th movie in the history of Nigerian cinemas to gross over N376 million in their first two weeks; Wakanda Forever (2022): N499.6 million, SpiderMan: No Way Home (2021): N475.7 million, Avengers: Endgame (2019): N407 million.

During the festive season, the average ticket price for watching the movie in regular cinemas is N6000, while it goes up to N7000 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 is a straightforward outcome.

In the midst of the economic crisis Nigerians still found time to go to the cinema this festive period as from 1st – 31st December 2023, the Nigerian Box office earned over N1.65 billion and sold over 461,000 tickets. About 88 percent of the business came from the 15th – 31st of December according to Nigerian Box Office on X.

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.