The Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) recently released data on the top 20 box office releases for the last week in December.
Funke Akindele’s A Tribe Called Judah maintained the first spot as the most-watched cinematic title in Nigeria during the period, grossing US$193,119 between December 29-31, 2023. This is a 58% increase from the previous week’s record and has catapulted Akindele to new heights of box office success. The movie closed the year with US$958067, making it the highest-grossing Nollywood title ever.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom were in second place, with a weekend gross of US$75,139, an 11% drop from its previous records. This shows that Nigerian audiences were not only streaming out in numbers for local titles but also to view Warner Bros’ latest release, which wrapped up with a total of US$346696.
Malaika by Toyin Abraham came in third place with a weekend gross ofUS$43,177 and a total of US$180,554. The holiday release is also expected to debut internationally in the United Kingdom on Friday, January 5, 2023.
Mercy Aigbe’s first cinematic project, Ada Omo Daddy, secured the fourth spot with a three-day gross of 21 million and a total of US$149901.31. Other movies that reached the top 10 included Afamefuna, a local indigenous title, and the comedy feature Sabinus.
Overall, the data shows that Nollywood movies dominate the Nigerian box office, with local audiences showing a strong preference for locally produced content.