If you thought Funke Akindele did magic numbers with “A Tribe Called JUDAH,” you haven’t seen anything yet!
Just one month after releasing “Everybody Loves Jenifa” a movie sequel to the Jenifa series, the movie has hit 1.6 Billion Naira in Box Office, making it the highest-grossing movie of all time in West Africa.
Akindele’s Track Record
Funke Akindele came to the limelight when she produced and acted in the movie “Jenifa” in 2008. Through the movie her fame spread far and wide, due to the role she played, her character’s witty nature, intonation, and grammatical constructs showed fans that laughter is truly the best medicine. She followed the movie with the spin-off series Jenifa’s Diary, which aired from 2015 to 2020.
Funke Akindele loves to break records and her only competition is herself! Over the past five years, Funke Akindele has consistently proved herself by outdoing her previous records in the Nollywood Box Office. Each record has been better than the previous one:
Omo Ghetto: The Saga – 2019 (₦347m)
Battle On Bukka Street – 2022 (₦640m)
A Tribe Called Judah – 2023 (₦1.1bn)
Everybody Loves Jenifa – 2024 (₦1.6bn and counting)
ELJ’s Numbers
Funke Akindele’s latest movie, “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” is the sixth installment in the Jenifa franchise. The movie boasts an impressive cast, including Funke Akindele, Stan Nze, Falz, Omowunmi Dada, and Patience Ozokwor. Everybody Loves Jenifa premiered at the Filmhouse Lekki IMAX in Lagos on December 8, 2024, and was theatrically released across Nigeria on December 13, 2024.
The film has been a commercial success, earning over ₦40 million on its opening day, and ₦500 million within 12 days, becoming the highest-grossing Nigerian film of all time. It also reached ₦1 billion at the Nigerian box office within 19 days, making it the fastest Nollywood title to achieve this milestone.
The film is not only making waves in Nigeria but also internationally as it earned $100,000 during its first week in cinemas, making it the largest opening weekend for a Nigerian film outside Africa!
Filmone, the movie’s distributor, shared the news on its Instagram page, @filmoneng, “A billy gang, we’re up! Everybody Loves Jenifa has grossed over ₦1.6 billion at the box office! We can’t thank you enough for showing this movie all your love!” the company wrote.
Critics Said…
Critics have said that “Everybody Loves Jenifa” is an entertaining but flawed film, with a disjointed and complicated narrative and that it struggles to balance multiple storylines, ultimately leaving viewers with an unsatisfactory cinematic experience. Nevertheless, Funke Akindele is an inspiration to all those in the Nigerian film industry. Her work rate, her storytelling, her efforts, and her creativity, are all emulatable.
Parting Shot
What amazes people the most is how much effort she puts into her work. When people say “Let your work speak for itself,” Funke Akindele has no time for that, she speaks for her work while letting it speak for itself. We say this because apart from delivering on quality, she gives it a lot of publicity. She went as far as writing, producing, and releasing a Christmas special song just before the release of the movie in December. Talk about going big or going home!
Have you seen the movie? What did you think?
Disclaimer: The opinions, views, and information expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of iNaijanow (Bean Creative). The company assumes no liability for any errors, omissions, or damages arising from the use of this information.
