Funke Akindele’s newly released films, “Everybody Loves Jenifa” and “Alakada: Bad and Boujee”, have propelled Nigerian cinemas to a historic milestone, surpassing ₦1 billion in ticket sales within just one week.
According to data from Nile Media Entertainment Group, Nigerian cinemas generated ₦1.02 billion in ticket sales between December 20 and 26, 2024—setting a new all-time high for the industry.
“Today, we’re proud to announce an incredible milestone: the Nigerian box office has crossed ₦1 billion in a single week in 2024,” stated Nile Media Entertainment.
“Everybody Loves Jenifa” has achieved significant success, with 153,800 tickets sold as of December 26 and a total box office gross of ₦782.8 million in just 14 days. The film is on track to surpass ₦1 billion in ticket sales in fewer days than Akindele’s previous record-breaking film, “A Tribe Called Judah,” which reached the same milestone in 21 days.
The comedy film also made history by becoming the fastest Nollywood film to gross ₦500 million, achieving the feat in just 12 days. On the international stage, “Everybody Loves Jenifa” earned $100,000 in its opening weekend across nine territories, including the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia.
A detailed breakdown of the week’s ticket sales revealed that December 26 was the highest-grossing day in Nigerian box office history, with ₦256.4 million in sales. This record was bolstered by over 47,500 tickets sold, making it the third-highest day in ticket sales overall, behind 55,449 tickets sold on December 26, 2019, and 52,563 on December 26, 2018.
In addition to “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” other titles performed impressively. The film became the first to gross over ₦100 million in a single day, surpassing its previous record of ₦89.8 million. During the week, several other films also saw remarkable single-day grosses, with four films exceeding ₦25 million in a day, five films hitting ₦15 million, six films grossing over ₦10 million, and eight films surpassing ₦5 million.
According to Nigerian Box Office X, the week’s top performers were led by “Everybody Loves Jenifa” (₦426.9 million), “Mufasa” (₦173 million), “Alakada: B&B” (₦127.3 million), “The Waiter” (₦104.2 million), and “Moana 2” (₦52.7 million).
Nile Media highlighted that the ₦1.02 billion record reflects the film industry’s growth, resilience, and the power of Nigerian storytelling.
“It’s a testament to the passion, creativity, and resilience of the industry,” the company said. “This achievement proves that our stories resonate, that audiences are eager to connect with our films, and that together, we can reach new heights of success.”
