Funke Akindele’s Winning Formula at Box Office

Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele achieved a significant milestone recently as her latest production, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ became the first Nigerian movie to cross the N1 billion mark at the box office within three weeks of release.

The feat solidified Akindele as the queen of box office having recorded similar box office success in the past. For instance, in 2021, her movie ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ grossed N636 million, and in 2022, ‘Battle on Buka Street’ grossed about N668 million.

These achievements share a common theme—they are all comedies. Comedy stands out as a thriving genre in the Nollywood box office considered a winning formula for Nigerian filmmakers striving for notable success. Movies like ‘The Wedding Party,’ which maintained the highest-grossing Nollywood movie for almost five years till it was displaced by Akindele’s ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga,’ prove that this formula is worth trying. While other genres can achieve box office success, comedies consistently outpace them. An exception is Jade Osiberu’s 2022 crime-action thriller ‘Brotherhood,’ the sole non-comedy to gross N328 million at the box office.

‘A Tribe Called Judah’ follows the story of a single mother and her five sons grappling with financial challenges. In a bid to overcome their struggles, they devise a plan to rob a mall. However, their scheme takes an unforeseen twist when they cross paths with another group of robbers already present. Akindele, at the premiere, revealed that the movie is a tribute to her late mother, who held a special place in her heart.

The movie stars Akindele, Timini Egbuson, Jide Kene Achufusi, Olumide Oworu, and Nse Ikpe Etim, among others.

Akindele demonstrates a strategic approach to her movie releases. Her last three highest-grossing films, ‘A Tribe Called Judah,’ ‘Battle on Buka Street’ and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga,’ were strategically premiered in December, aligning with the peak cinema attendance during the Christmas holiday season. Notably, all these movies are distributed by FilmOne Distribution. This formula has proven successful for the filmmaker, and it remains to be seen what milestones she will achieve in 2024.