Temple Company, a talent management and production outfit based in Lagos, has questioned the accuracy of the 2024 box office ranking of Nigerian actresses Bisola Aiyeola and Nancy Isime. The disputed ranking was released by film distribution outfit, FilmOne, a few weeks ago.
In a statement, Temple Company described the report as a valuable opportunity to showcase the economic impact of the film industry but expressed concerns over the parameters used in arriving at Aiyeola’s ranking as the fourth highest-grossing female in a supporting role.
In a statement released to the press, Femi Salawu, Temple’s head of media relations and public affairs, says his outfit is concerned about “the misrepresentation of Bisola Aiyeola’s contributions to the year’s cinematic achievements”. He then lists some of Aiyeola’s notable projects from last year, including Everybody Loves Jenifa, Ajosepo, and Muri & Ko.
In the ranking presented to the public by FilmOne, Aiyeola is in the fourth position with ₦393m, Isime is in the fifth position with ₦365m. While Aiyeola gets two films mentioned (Ajosepo and Muri & Ko), Isime gets one (Queen Lateefah). As Salawu says, Aiyeola‘s “significant role as Madam Bassey in Everybody Loves Jenifa was notably omitted from her box office aggregation”. Isime plays a supporting role in the same film.
Industry standard
The company argues that the traditional industry standard defines supporting roles based on screen time and narrative impact, which appears to have been inconsistently applied in the current rankings.
The implication is that both actresses are ranked lower than they should be, given the box office haul of the latest Jenifa picture. “This omission raises important questions about the methodology employed in the ranking system,” Salawu says, “particularly the classification criteria between lead and supporting lead roles, the consistency in applying these criteria across all evaluated performances, and the transparency of the data aggregation process.”
He adds: “We respectfully request a review of the ranking methodology and data aggregation process to ensure accuracy and fairness in representing our industry’s achievements.”
According to FilmOne’s Nigerian Box-Office Year Book 2024, Omotunde Adebowale David and Juliana Olayode tied for the top spot as the highest-grossing females in supporting roles, with a gross of ₦1.125bn for Everybody Loves Jenifa.
Mercy Aigbe secured the second spot, grossing ₦764M for her performances in Thin Line, Beast of Two Worlds, Ajosepo, and Farmer’s Bride. Bukunmi Adeaga followed closely in third place, with a gross of ₦628M for her performances in Ilori, Muri & Ko, Queen Lateefah, and Wives on Strike 3: The Uprising.
”While the Nigeria Box Office Rankings represent a valuable opportunity to showcase our industry’s economic impact and market significance, such inconsistencies risk undermining its credibility as an industry benchmark,” Salawu said.
FilmOne responds
In a response to the criticism, the media company says that there are specific rules governing its ranking. In this case, it says, “Two male/female supporting performers are selected in each category, with validation from the producers and executive producers of the film”.
