Funke Akindele’s latest film, Everybody Loves Jenifa, has set a new milestone in the Nigerian film industry, generating over ₦1 billion within 19 days of release.
This milestone makes the film the fastest Nollywood production to reach ₦1 billion.
Film One, the production firm behind the film, revealed the record-breaking achievement on Instagram, hailing it as a watershed moment in Nigerian filmmaking. Everybody Loves Jenifa is the second film in 12 months to surpass the ₦1 billion mark, following Akindele’s success with A Tribe of Judah.
The movie, which premiered on December 11, 2024, grossed ₦250 million over the past weekend, bringing its total earnings to ₦1.035 billion. This makes it the highest-grossing opening-day film in Nollywood history, having earned ₦45.2 million from 9,409 admissions on its opening day.
Akindele expressed her gratitude to fans in Nigeria and Ghana for their support, which made the film’s success possible. She also encouraged audiences worldwide to continue watching the film, which is part of the long-running Jenifa franchise, which began in 2008.
In addition to its domestic success, Everybody Loves Jenifa has also performed well internationally, grossing $100,000 in cinema revenue during its opening week in the diaspora.
The movie features a star-studded cast, including Layi Wasabi, Nancy Isime, Jackie Appiah, Falz, Omowunmi Dada, Chimezie Imo, Patience Ozokwor, and Stan Nze. The film continues the story of Jenifa, who faces rivalry from a new neighbour threatening to outshine her charity organization.
With this latest success, Funke Akindele has solidified her position as one of Nigeria’s highest-grossing producers and directors. Everybody Loves Jenifa is currently showing in cinemas nationwide.
