FUNKE AKINDELE’S ‘A TRIBE CALLED JUDAH’ ENDS CINEMA RUN WITH ₦1.4BN

‘A Tribe Called Judah’, the groundbreaking blockbuster movie by Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele, has ended its run at Nigerian cinemas with culminated in a total gross of ₦1.4 billion.

Released on December 15, 2023, the film sets a new record to become the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time and the first Nollywood title to hit a billion naira at the box office.

All these are achieved just three weeks after its release, making it the fastest Nollywood movie to achieve this feat.

After 11 weeks, according to data released by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), the film grossed only ₦14,745 in its final weekend between February 23 and February 25, screening in just two locations.

A Tribe Called Judah’s final gross, before falling out of the weekly top 20 list, was recorded as ₦1,404,207,541, with 374,552 ticket admissions.

The film also screened in foreign countries including Ghana, the United Kingdom, and a dozen regions in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, and Togo.

Funke Akindele, known as the box office queen, has previously tasted success with films like “Omo Ghetto: The Saga” grossing N636 million in 2020, and “Battle on Buka Street” at N668 million in 2022.

The billion-naira record, previously held by Hollywood’s “Black Panther 2” at N1.04 billion, marks a significant milestone for the Nigerian film industry.

A Tribe Called Judah achieved a notable feat, surpassing admission records of blockbusters like Sugar Rush (229,060) and King of Boys (220,565) in only just three weeks.

In its first fifteen days as of December 30, the film had already amassed an impressive N780 million, maintaining an outstanding daily gross of N55 million to N75 million during the festive season. Recording about N60 million N60 million within the first 48 hours of release.

A Tribe Called Judah follows five brothers: Jide Kene Achufusi as Emeka Judah, Timini Egbuson as Pere Judah, Uzee Usman as Adamu Judah, Tobi Makinde as Shina Judah, and Olumide Oworu as Ejiro Judah, who must come together to rob a company to save their mother, played by Akindele as Jedidah Judah.