Funke Akindele’s ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ Surpasses N500M in Ticket Sales Within 12 Days

Funke Akindele’s new film, “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” is making waves at the Nigerian box office, earning an impressive N511 million just 12 days after its release on December 13, 2024.

This makes it the quickest Nollywood movie to ever pass the N500 million mark, attracting a huge audience with over 71,700 tickets sold in its first week.

The film made a whopping N355.1 million in its first week alone, with N72 million coming from just two days, December 16 and 17.

As a result, it’s become the highest-earning Nollywood film of the season, continuing the popular Jenifa series that fans adore.

Funke Akindele, who had a major hit with her previous film “Omo Ghetto: The Saga” which brought in over N1.5 billion, is a major force in the Nigerian movie industry.

Her latest work blends humor, drama, and social commentary in a way that deeply connects with Nigerian audiences.

2024 has been a standout year for Nollywood, with other movies like “Jagun Jagun,” “Lisabi,” and “Queen Lateefah” also performing well.

Together, these films have helped push the West African box office to a new high of N12 billion this year, with Nollywood films making up more than half of this figure.

This shows that Nollywood is growing stronger and can hold its own against Hollywood movies in the local market.

The Nigerian cinema industry itself has seen significant growth in 2024, with box office revenues reaching N8.76 billion in the first nine months—a 59% increase compared to 2023.

This growth happened even though slightly fewer tickets were sold, thanks to higher ticket prices and the success of blockbuster films.

“Everybody Loves Jenifa” highlights this trend, drawing large crowds eager to see the latest chapter in the beloved Jenifa series.

The film combines comedy, drama, and suspense as it follows Jenifa’s adventures and challenges when a rival threatens her popularity and she gets mixed up with a drug baron on a trip to Ghana.

Directed by Akindele and Tunde Olaoye and featuring a talented cast, the film’s mix of funny and heartfelt moments has resonated strongly with viewers, reinforcing Akindele’s status as a key player in Nollywood.