It is not always the case that big projects from Hollywood (and Disney in particular) struggle to top the box office in any country. But in Nigeria, one producer has them beat.
That producer is Funke Akindele, whose latest film Everybody Loves Jenifa has become the highest grossing film in Nigeria’s box office history. In doing so, the film has clung to the top spot and relegated Disney’s Mufasa: Lion King to a distant second position in Nigeria’s box office.
Outside of Nigeria, Mufasa is number 1 in most markets, including France, India, UK/Ireland, Italy, and many other countries. But in Nigeria, it has proven to be an inadequate competitor against Akindele and her fanbase.
A similar pattern emerged during the holiday season in 2022 when Akindele’s Battle On Buka Street topped the national box office in direct competition with global behemoth Avatar: Way of Water, released under 20th Century Studios, a production and distribution outfit under Disney.
Funke Akindele Vs Disney
The latest instalment of Akindele’s comedy series has earned a staggering 1,466,852,33 billion naira at the box office. Meanwhile, the last figure for Mufasa in the public domain was just over a 173m naira. At the time, Jenifa had crossed over 780m naira.
A celebratory post shared by Akindele and her distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, informs social media users on an Instagram that Everybody Loves Jenifa is a “RECORD BREAKER”, adding that the film has “officially hit a historic 1.466 billion naira and counting at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of all time!”
With the new record, Akindele now occupies the first, second, third, and fourth spots on Nollywood’s all-time list. Her previous film, Tribe of Judah was the only film to have breached the ₦1 billion barrier. Battle On Buka Street and Omo Ghetto: The Saga occupy the third and fourth positions on the list respectively.
