With over 80,500 tickets sold since its September 27 premiere, Queen Lateefah, the Nigerian film phenomenon, has made over N333.7 million at the box office.
Now, unadjusted for inflation, the picture is the highest-earning release outside of the lucrative December period and the ninth highest-grossing Nollywood film to date.
Nigerian Box Office reports that this box office success highlights the growing interest in Nollywood’s domestic productions.
Queen Lateefah has rapidly established itself as a top performer among Nollywood’s non-December releases, joining the ranks of blockbusters like Ajosepo, which brought in N257.2 million, and Ajakaju, which brought in N252.8 million.
What you ought to be aware of
Important turning points have been reached along the way to Queen Lateefah’s present box office position. The movie made almost N200 million in just three weeks after its launch, which is a feat that few Nigerian films accomplish. Its position as one of the highest-grossing movies in the nation’s history was cemented when box office receipts reached N216 million by the middle of October.
Cinemax Distribution, the film’s production firm, kept expanding Queen Lateefah’s audience in Nigeria.
After earning N256 million by the third weekend of October, the movie made an additional N23.3 million on the weekend of October 18–20.
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This put it in second position in the weekend rankings, right behind The Uprising by Omoni Oboli.
Some background
Cinemax Distribution’s careful distribution plan and the movie’s widespread appeal are responsible for its success. The founder of Cinemax, Ope Ajayi, a prominent figure in Nollywood’s production and distribution industry, emphasized the significance of using storylines that have emotional and cultural resonance to engage viewers.
Ajayi said, “At Cinemax, we want to empower Nigerian storytellers by making sure their work reaches the right audience.” The success of Queen Lateefah is evidence of the rising demand for indigenous narratives that capture the varied realities and goals of Nigerian audiences. The box office results demonstrate how much people value our culture and storytelling, and Nollywood is only getting started.
The ongoing popularity of Queen Lateefah heralds a new era for Nollywood, which is rapidly proving that it can compete with foreign films. Queen Lateefah’s steady October ticket sales, in spite of competition from international films, demonstrate Nollywood’s expanding power and the expanding Nigerian film market.
The success of Queen Lateefah signifies 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.
