Since its September 27 premiere, Queen Lateefah, the Nigerian film phenomenon, has sold over 80,500 tickets and earned over N333.7 million at the box office.
Unadjusted for inflation, the movie is currently the fifth highest-grossing Nollywood film to date and the highest-earning release outside of the lucrative December month.
According to Nigerian Box Office, this box office success highlights the growing demand for Nollywood’s domestic productions.
Following in the footsteps of successful films like Ajosepo (which brought in N257.2 million) and Ajakaju (which brought in N252.8 million), Queen Lateefah has risen to prominence as one of Nollywood’s non-December releases.
Things you should be aware of
Important turning points have occurred along Queen Lateefah’s path to its present box office position. Few Nigerian films surpass the N200 million milestone, which was reached by the movie within three weeks of its premiere. With N216 million in box office earnings by the middle of October, it was firmly established as one of the highest-grossing movies in the history of the nation.
The film’s production company, Cinemax Distribution, kept expanding Queen Lateefah’s fanbase in Nigeria.
The movie made N256 million by the third weekend of October and another N23.3 million over the weekend of October 18–20.
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In the weekend rankings, this put it just behind The Uprising by Omoni Oboli.
A little background
The wide popularity of the movie and Cinemax Distribution’s careful distribution plan are responsible for its success. The creator of Cinemax and a prominent figure in Nollywood’s production and distribution industry, Ope Ajayi, emphasized the significance of providing spectators with emotionally and culturally relevant content.
“At Cinemax, we want to empower Nigerian storytellers by making sure the right people see their work,” Ajayi said. The popularity of Queen Lateefah is evidence that Nigerian viewers are becoming more interested in local narratives that capture their varied experiences and goals. The box office results show that people are embracing our culture and storytelling as a whole, and Nollywood is only getting started.
Queen Lateefah’s ongoing popularity marks a turning point for Nollywood, which is rapidly proving that it can compete with foreign releases. Queen Lateefah’s steady ticket sales throughout October demonstrate Nollywood’s expanding impact and the expanding market for Nigerian cinema, even in the face of competition from international productions.
Queen Lateefah’s popularity is indicative of a growing need for movies that celebrate Nigerian identity, strike a deep chord with local audiences, and entice them to return to theaters as Nollywood’s storytelling skills and production capacities continue to advance.
