Entertainment

Nollywood Movies Find Expression In Cinemas

Published

9 years ago

August 18, 2017

Cinema is a growing business in Nigeria till the collapse of cinema culture in the 90s. Before then, the country had a strong and vibrant cinema culture, but it all started to dwindle from the late ’80s, thanks to piracy and the high production cost. The fall of cinema led to the rise of the home video in the 90s and by extension, Nollywood film makers found home videos too restrictive in theme and creativity. Cinema came back to Nigeria (Lagos really) when Ben Murray Bruce, opened Silverbird Cinema in Victoria Island, Nigeria could now watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters in HO quality.

Nigerians started going back to the cinemas, but it did little or nothing to the local movie ecosystem as Nigerians preferred and trusted the big Hollywood movies to local movies.

All that have changed now, the big movies in the cinemas are Nollywood films which are locally produced. The 2016 hit.

“The Wedding Party” is set to hit the N450 million mark soon in box office sales. Comedian and movie producer Ayo Makun (AY) has produced two movies that have shattered the Box Office and are considered local block busters.

The 2017 comedy, “Banana Island Ghost” is tipped to hit N100 million, maybe N200 million by industry experts.

The boom in Nollywood movies shown in the cinemas is a welcome development but not for all. The top grossing Nigerian movies belong to the comedy genre, other genre of movies hardly make money, are flops or are not even considered worthy to be put on screen.

Moves outside the comedy genre such as ‘Arbitration’ did low numbers and movie distributors are hesitant to pick such films.

Today, Nollywood is pretty much like the music industry. Mainstream Nigerian artistes have stuck to one sound (the new trend is known as pon pon music), in Nollywood, everybody wants to shoot comedy. This trend even though it has produced big bucks is alienating other creatives in the industry.

However, the Nigerian movie industry is expected to generate 40% of the five billion naira that would be made at the Nigerian Box Office by the end of 2017. According to the Group Executive Director / CEO film One, Moses Babatope, the quality of Nollywood films are improving and so are the audience. “Of the five billion naira that would be made in Box Office sales this year and that’s about five million tickets. The Nigerian film will gross two billion and that’s about 40 percent of the bos office” , he said at the premiere of “My Wife and I” on Sunday.

“Three or four years ago, that figure was about 10% of the Box Office and less than 500 million. This is just to tell you that the quality of the films are improving and the number of the audience is improving”, he added.

So far the reported success of movies like “Isoken,” Okafor’s law,”10 Days in Sun City” “Alakada Reloaded” and “Hire A Man” will play a role in setting this new record. Movies currently showing in the cinemas include “Hakkunde” and Banana Island Ghost”. Upcoming movies that are expected to do well include Mentally”, “Tatu”, “My Wife and I” among others. There is also the anticipated sequel to the Wedding party” which is expected to surpass the 400 million naira record set by its prequel. In 2016 with movies like “fifty” “The CEO” ‘Wives on Strike’, ‘76’ and ‘A Trip to Jamaica’ grossed one billion naira, below are the 10 highest grossing Nollywood movies of all time.

“The Wedding Party” N450 million the 2016 movie is a collaboration between Ebonylife films, Film One, Inkblot production, Koga Studios and is directed by Kemi Adetiba.

“A Trip To Jamaica”, N178.5 million. Written and produced by AY Makun. The movie was directed by Robert Peters and starrs Funke Akindele, Chris Attoh, Nse Ikpe Etim among others.

“30 days in Atlanta”, N137.2 million written and produced by AY Makun, the movie was directed by Robert Peters and Stars Richard Mofe Damijo Ramsey Nouah, Mercy Johnson and Vivica Fox among others.

“Fifty”, N94 million, An Ebonylife films production directed by Biyi Bandele, produced by Tope Oshin and features Omoni Oboli, Ireti Doyle, Dakore Egbuson – Akende, Nse Ikpe Etim, among others.

“76”: this historical drama stars Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Chidi Mokeme and Daniel K. Daniel, produced by Adonis productions and directed by Izu Chukwu.

‘Wives on strike’, N713 million naira, produced and directed by Omoni Oboli, the movie stars Uche Junmbo, Chioma Chukwuka, Ufuoma Mc Dermott, Kehinde Bankole among others.

“Half of a yellow sun”: N60 million naira, Directed by Biyi Bandele, the movies features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandle Newton, Onyeka onwenu, Genevieve Nnaji, John Boyega among others.

October 1st: N60 million, A Kunle Afolanya movie featuring sading Daba, Kayode Olaiya, David Bailie, Kehinde Bakonle, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Fabian Adeoye Lojede, Nick Rhys, Kunle Afolayan, Femi Adebayo, Bimbo Manuel, Ibrahim Chatta and Demola Adedoyin.

“The ‘CEO” N60 million: Another Afolayan movie the CEO stars Wale Ojo, Lala Akindoju, Angeligue Kidjo, Aurelie Sliam, Hilda Dokubo, Jimmy Jean Louis, Peter King and Nico Panagio among others.

“IJE” N59.8 million: Directed by Chineze Ayaene. The movie stars Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade among others. Other hit movies on this list of 15 include ‘Last flight to Abuja’ N57.5 million. “It’s Her Day” N55 million, ‘the return of Jenifa’ N35 million’, “93 days” N50 million, Ghana must go N32 million’.

Entertainment

‘Lie From The Pit Of Hell,’ Family Debunks Pete Edochie’s death Rumours

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The family of veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, has dismissed viral rumours circulating on social media claiming that the film icon is dead.

Reacting to the reports in a video shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday, the actor’s eldest son, Leo Edochie, described the claim as false and malicious.

“I’ve been receiving text messages and calls over the nonsense post by some people that our father, Chief Pete Edochie, is dead. It is a lie from the pit of hell,” he said.

Leo added that the actor is alive and in good health, condemning those responsible for spreading the rumour.

“Our father is alive, hale and hearty. And if you wish someone dead, two things usually happen. The person will live very long and you will die before him. Shame to all of you,” he said.

The rumour had sparked concern among fans before the family’s clarification.

Entertainment

‘Mother’s Love’ Challenges Nigerian’s Film Portray Of Motherhood

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde critiques Nollywood’s lack of mother-daughter stories ahead of her directorial debut, ‘Mother’s Love.’ See the cast and 2026 release date.

Nollywood veteran actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is making her directorial debut with a different and sharper focus. Speaking recently with Newsmen,, the screen icon highlighted a glaring void in the industry’s catalogue, which is the authentic reality of mother-daughter relationships.

“We don’t have too many films that explore or showcase the relationship between mothers and daughters,” Omotola said during the interview, describing the subject as something deeply personal to her.

Speaking honestly about raising her first daughter, she admitted she had only one mode at the time, which was discipline. “I didn’t do a good job,” she said plainly, explaining that she understood motherhood strictly through control, not softness or emotional openness.

At the centre of Mother’s Love is Adebisi, a sheltered young woman from a wealthy home whose life is shaped by her father’s rigid control. Her first taste of freedom comes through NYSC, where distance from home allows her to begin discovering who she is outside her family’s expectations. She forms a friendship with a young man from a more modest background, and through him, starts to see the world and herself differently.

But the emotional core of the film isn’t Adebisi’s rebellion. It’s her mother. Long after being presented as quiet and compliant, she slowly reveals a resolve when her daughter’s safety and future are threatened. As secrets surface and buried grief comes into view, Mother’s Love becomes less about youthful independence and more about maternal sacrifice, unspoken trauma, and the emotional costs of survival inside a patriarchal home.

The Tide Entertainment reports that the film doesn’t shy away from weighty themes by including PTSD, unresolved grief, and social inequality at the centre of the story. It is far removed from the soft-focus sentimentality that often defines Mother’s Day-style narratives.

It also marks Omotola’s directorial debut, a significant moment considering how long she has shaped Nollywood from the front of the camera. She stars in the film alongside a mix of familiar faces and newer talent, including Ifeanyi Kalu, Olumide Oworu, and Noray Nehita.

Beyond the film itself, Omotola’s interview touched on a tension that has been simmering in Nollywood for a while now: how movies are marketed in the age of TikTok. Addressing the growing expectation for actors and filmmakers to create viral dance content to promote their work, she didn’t mince words. The pressure, she said, is exhausting and unnatural.

For her, the industry wasn’t meant to function this way. Still, she was careful not to judge anyone else’s approach. Everyone invests differently, carries different risks, and should be allowed to promote their films however they see fit.

“Do whatever you can do. It’s exhausting, it’s not natural. For me, the film industry is not supposed to be like that. We are encouraging nonsense if we are doing that. It doesn’t mean that whoever is doing it is wrong.”

Her comments arrive not long after the public back-and-forth between Kunle Afolayan and Funke Akindele over marketing styles, a debate that quickly turned into a proxy war between prestige storytelling and viral strategy. Omotola’s stance sits somewhere calmer. She understands the shift social media has brought, but she’s also clear about her own boundaries.

Omotola’s critique about the lack of mother-daughter stories isn’t unfounded. In Nollywood, mothers often exist as symbols rather than people. They’re either saintly figures who pray endlessly for their children or villains whose cruelty drives the plot forward. What’s missing is intimacy, the negotiations, and the regrets. The love that exists alongside resentment and misunderstanding.

Films rarely sit with the emotional complexity of women raising daughters in systems that also failed them. There’s little room for mothers who made mistakes but are still trying, or daughters who love their mothers while questioning the damage they inherited. Mother’s Love attempts to occupy that space, offering a more grounded portrayal that reflects lived experience rather than archetypes.

That’s where the film’s potential impact lies, in the decision to centre a relationship that Nollywood has largely flattened. If it works, it could open the door for more stories that treat motherhood as a lived, evolving reality rather than a fixed moral position.

Mother’s Love, directed by and starring Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. The film is set for a nationwide cinema release in Nigeria on March 6, 2026.

Entertainment

Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn

Published

1 month ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes becomes Nollywood’s highest-grossing film of 2025, earning ?1.77bn in under four weeks.

Multi-award-winning actress and producer Funke Akindele has done it again, and this time, the numbers speak louder than applause.

Her latest film, Behind The Scenes, has officially emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood film of 2025, pulling in an astonishing ?1.767 billion in less than four weeks.

The Tide Entertainment reports that Funke Akindele Makes Box Office History as Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn
Earlier in its release cycle, the film’s distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, revealed that Behind The Scenes smashed five opening-weekend records, including the highest single-day gross ever recorded on Boxing Day, with ?129.5 million in one day. That announcement already hinted that something unusual was unfolding.

Reacting to the milestone, FilmOne described the moment as both surreal and communal, crediting audience loyalty for pushing the film to the top spot once again as the number-one movie of the weekend. And that sentiment feels accurate. This wasn’t just ticket sales; it was momentum.

What makes this achievement even more striking is that Behind The Scenes is Funke Akindele’s third film to cross the ?1 billion mark. Before now, there was A Tribe Called Judah, and then Everybody Loves Jenifa, a film that didn’t just open big, but went on to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. At this point, it’s no longer a fluke. It’s a pattern.

Part of Behind The Scenes’ success lies in strategy. The film enjoyed advanced screenings on December 10 and 11, quietly building curiosity and conversation before its nationwide release on December 12. By the time it officially hit cinemas, audiences already felt like they needed to see it.

Then there’s the cast. The film brings together a lineup that feels deliberately stacked: Scarlet Gomez, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, and several others. Familiar faces, strong fan bases, and performances that kept word-of-mouth alive long after opening weekend.

Still, beyond timing and casting, there’s something else at work here. Funke Akindele understands Nigerian audiences. Their humour, their pacing, their emotional buttons. She doesn’t guess, she calculates, experiments, listens, and refines. That understanding has slowly turned into box-office dominance.

Behind The Scenes crossing ?1.77 billion isn’t just another headline; it’s confirmation. Funke Akindele has moved from being a successful actress to becoming one of the most reliable commercial forces Nollywood has ever produced. Three-billion-naira films don’t happen by luck. They happen when storytelling, business sense, and audience trust align.

And right now, that alignment seems firmly in her hands.