Nollywood film Battle on Buka Street grossed a whopping N67.99 million on New Year’s weekend, topping the list of films with the highest weekend grosses in Nigeria.
this is according to data of the Film Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN).
According to the data, movies aired in Nigerian theaters grossed a sum of N183.02 million between Dec 30, 2022 and Jan 1, 2023. The list was topped by Battle on Buka Street, Avatar: The Path of WaterY Ijakumo: the stripper born again.
Movies also topped the charts on Christmas weekend when Nigerians, in their usual fashion during the festivities, flocked to theaters to be entertained by blockbuster movies.
Nigerian Film Industry: The Nigerian film industry is recognized as one of the largest film producers in the world, contributing about 1.1% to Nigeria’s real GDP and valued at over N780 billion in real terms (2022 estimates).
- Several Nigerian blockbuster films have topped the list in recent years as more producers invest heavily to produce cinema-worthy films.
- It has also been a trend in recent times for film producers around the world to release theatrical films during the festive periods, considering that most people have more free time to visit theaters and relax.
More data: According to CEAN, six Nigerian films made it into the top 15 films on the new year weekend.
- A total of N183.02 million theatrical films were earned during the New Year weekend, compared to N166.98 million recorded on the Christmas weekend.
- Additionally, seven of the top 15 films were distributed by Film One Studios. In particular, the top fifteen films have recorded cumulative revenue of 1.87 billion naira since their release, with more than 681,000 people viewing them.
Below are the highest grossing movies on New Year’s weekend in Nigeria.
Battle on Buka Street – N67.98 million
Produced by Nigerian filmmaker Funke Akindele, Battle on Buka Street and starring the likes of Mercy Johnson and Sola Sobowale grossed a whopping N67.98 million on New Year’s weekend, surpassing the N48.21 million recorded on the weekend former.
- The film was released on December 16, 2022 and has grossed a sum of N361.36 million, with more than 132,500 viewers in less than three weeks.
- A deeper look at the CEAN data showed that a total of 24,629 people watched the film over the New Year’s weekend.
Avatar: The Path of Water – N41.9 million
Avatar, The Way Of Water, a sequel to the first installment released in December 2009, which was rated as the highest grossing film of all time, grossed a sum of N41.9 million in revenue on New Year’s weekend.
- Compared to the previous week, revenue was down marginally from 44.39 million naira on the Christmas weekend. However, the blockbuster has generated a sum of N285.6 million in cumulative revenue.
- Avatar was produced by Disney and distributed by Film One Studios. In particular, the film has been seen by 94,402 people in three weeks since its release.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – N30.45 million
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a sequel to the 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Film One in Nigeria.
- Black Panther grossed a sum of N30.45 million on New Year’s weekend, bringing its total cumulative revenue to N956.7 million, with over 343,000 viewers so far.
- Serving as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman who played the role of Black Panther in the first sequel, the film also saw contributions from some Nigerian artists like Tems, Burna Boy and Fireboy.
Ijakumo: The Born Again Stripper – N29.05 million
Ijakumo, produced by Toyin Abraham, grossed a token of N29.05 million on New Year’s weekend, unable to match the N30.44 million recorded the previous week, but over 10,000 people flocked to theaters to see it.
- The film starred veteran Nollywood actors like Antar Laniyan, Kunle Remi, and Debiie Shokoya among others. The film, which was released on December 23, 2022, has grossed N137.08 million in cumulative revenue.
- Ijakumo was also distributed by Film One Studios.
Others on the list include:
- Puss in Boots – N9.25 million
- Palava! – N1.16 million
- Olola Aginju – N652,100
- Kamanni – N561,600
- Rising: City of Dreams – N544,182
- Violent Night – N481,606
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