Funke Akindele’s blockbuster movie, ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa ‘, has achieved an unprecedented milestone in Nollywood history.
With a historic N1.466 billion and counting at the Nigerian box office, it has officially become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time, leaving the industry and fans in awe.
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The film’s distribution company, FilmOne, announced the feat on their social media handles on Monday, revealing that its box office revenue surpassed ₦1 billion in two weeks.
“Everybody Loves Jenifa has officially hit a historic N1.466 billion and counting at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of all time! A massive thank you to our incredible audiences in Nigeria and Ghana for making this dream a reality! Your support is everything. On to even greater heights! Still showing in cinemas near you—experience the magic on the big screen,” the post read.
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Since 2020, Funke has dominated the Nigerian box office, with her films being the highest-grossing to date.
In 2020, Funke’s Omo Ghetto: The Saga was the highest-grossing of the year, with ₦636,129,120 realised at the cinemas. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria in 2021, Funke retained her 2020 title.
In 2021, Funke’s film Battle on Buka Street generated ₦668,423,056 at the cinemas. By 2023, Funke took things a notch higher; A Tribe Called Judah became her first movie to cross the N1 billion mark, making ₦1,404,187,806 in the cinemas. By 2024, the talented actress solidified her position as Nigeria’s box office queen.
Before now, Nollywood’s highest-grossing film was Ebonylife Films’ 2016 movie, which made ₦452,288,605. A year later, the sequel made ₦433,197,377. In 2018, EbonyLife Film replicated the success with ‘Chief Daddy’, earning ₦387,540,749.
Everybody Loves Jenifa
‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ is a spin-off of the 28-series Jenifa franchise. The new movie explores fresh challenges for its main character, Jenifa.
Jenifa’s popularity is threatened when her new neighbour, Lobster, begins to outshine her charity work, causing her jealousy and inadequacy.
The movie brings back beloved characters from her 2008 debut, evoking a sense of nostalgia among long-time fans. It boasts a star-studded cast including Patience Ozukwor, Jide Kosoko, D’Banj, Falz, Nancy Isimie, Layiasabi, Damilo Oni, and Stan Nze.
