Funke Akindele’s upcoming comedy, Everybody Loves Jenifa, has made a remarkable start in the United Kingdom, selling out its initial cinema bookings ahead of its premiere on December 20. The film’s success has prompted additional screen allocations to meet the demand.
Nile Media Entertainment, international distributors for the film, announced the sales milestone on their Instagram page: “A huge congratulations to @funkejenifaakindele and all the amazing Jenifans worldwide for SOLD OUT SCREEN 1.”
In response to the overwhelming interest, an extra screen has been added to the UK premiere lineup. The post said: “Due to overwhelming demand, an additional screen has been added for our December 20th UK premiere.”
This development comes after Nile Media Entertainment announced on its Instagram that it had acquired the film’s theatrical distribution rights across six continents, while FilmOne Entertainment retains local distribution rights.
The innovative voucher system, Atlas by Reach, launched by Nile Media Entertainment, enabled fans to purchase vouchers ahead of the movie’s premiere. This same approach was previously used for Omoni Oboli’s movie, The Uprising: Wives on Strike 3.
Everybody Loves Jenifa, set to hit cinemas nationwide on 13 December, builds upon the character Jenifa, which was first played by Akindele in 2008. She returned to the role in The Return of Jenifa three years later. A series titled Jenifa’s Diary, under Akindele’s production company, Scene One Productions, followed in 2015.
The upcoming film stars rapper Falz, Omotunde ‘Lolo’ Adebowale-David, Olayode Juliana, Chimezie Imo, Layi Wasabi, Bisola Aiyeola, Jackie Appiah, and Omowunmi Dada.
