'Afemefuna,' the Kayode Kasum-directed movie with stars like Kanayo O. Kanayo, Segun Arinze, Stan Nze and Alexx Ekubo, is the highest-grossing movie in Nigeria so far this month.
According to data from the Cinema Exhibition Association of Nigeria, the movie has grossed a total of ₦21,714,750, with ₦14,068,750 from the weekend. It means that more people opted to watch Afamefuna in Nigeria so far this month than they did to watch Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and The Marvels.
Afamefuna is an Igbo language film that dives deep into the apprenticeship institution that has become synonymous with the South-Eastern part of Nigeria.
Once relegated to the bottom of the pile in the age of big streamers, Afamefuna's success underscores a clear interest among Nigerians for content that speaks to their experiences regardless of the language with which it’s told.
Just like Afamefuna, Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman is another successful title that wasn’t presented in English.
Bank Alert and Double Dekoi also made the list in second and third place respectively among Nollywood titles with ₦3,709,100 and ₦1,021,000.
However, Merry Men 3 is still the highest-grossing movie currently in the cinemas with over ₦118,330,368 cumulatively. Merry Men 3 has been in the cinemas since October. Afemefuna has only been in the cinemas for roughly two weeks. The data from the Cinema Exhibition Association of Nigeria only considered the 1st - 7th of December.
Other Nollywood titles on the list are Egun, Adire, Ifediche, Something Like Gold, Small Talk and Praise Party.