Entertainment
Behold! Highest Grossing Nollywood Films Of 2016
Going by publicized box
office records alone, 2016 is turning out to be a far better year for Nigerian films than 2015. 2016 is barely three months away from ending and so far, after what started out slowly, it is safe to say that this has been a good year for Nollywood. That year’s highest grossing film, Mo Abudu’s Fifty grossed N50m. so far in 2016, three films have comfortably crossed that mark with one of them set to make double of that.
Fifty, Road to Yesterday, Taxi Driver: Oko Ashewo, The First Lady, Tempting Fate and The Visit were the highest grossing films of 2015, making about N150.63m between them. That is about N11m short of the record-shattering N161m grossed by AY’s 30 Days in Atlanta which has since held on to the record as the highest grossing film in Nollywood.
AY also leads the pack in 2016 with his new film, A Trip to Jamaica having grossed N82m so far after just 10 days in the cinemas. According to figures released recently by Film One Distribution, the film has been playing in all 28 cinema locations across Nigeria. According to Moses Babatope, the Group ED/COO Film One Distribution. ‘Generally, there has been better performance in the box office by Nigerian films’.
This reflected in the figures obtained by TNS (1. A Trip to Jamaica – N82m (figure in 10 days only) (2. Wives on Strike – N67m (3). The CEO – N60m (includes figures from Ghana) (4). Fifty – N44m (January to March 2016 only) (5) Ghana Must Go – N32m.
Bovi’s It’s Her Day is believed to be another box office success story even though official figures were not available as at the time of this report. The N44m made by fifty this year adds to the N50 million it made during the closing part of 2015. N94 million is not a bad figure.
The projection with A Trip to Jamaica is that it is on course to take over the number one spot from 30 Days in Atlanta within the next two weeks of its stay in the cinemas across Nigeria, as it looks set to continue to screen to sold-out audience. By October 25, it is projected that the film would have made at least N130m which is about N31m shy of the record it is looking to break. Stakeholders in the industry have described this development as a welcome one, saying that this will give way to more opportunities for the industry.
AMVCA-winning actor, Tope Tedela said, it is good to have these kinds of positive developments where people can recoup their investments because no one just wants to act and make a film, at least we also want finances that can make a solid foundation. So, yeah, I’m happy.’ ‘AY has over the years created a brand with which he now promotes his content.
He has that like ability and he has the platform; film maker, Olu Yomi Ososanya highlighted before continuing, ‘Now, the cinemas can see that Nigerian films can do big numbers and they will now see that giving him a favourable slot also helped, A Trip to Jamaica screens an average of four times across cinemas producer, director and writer, Tope Oshin, whose documentary, Amaka’s kin is making its debut at the BFI film festival in London said, ‘This is definitely exciting news! It’s just my hope that we can grow our cinema audience to the point where this kind of box office successes will soon be possible for films of other genres as well’.
Part of a report by Jude Martins, a film critic and public relations expert, as well as Moses Babatope and published by TNS reads, ‘with the second half pregnant with intriguing films such as Kunle Afolayan’s The CEO, the much anticipated ’76, The Arbitration, 93 days, When Love Happens Again. The Wedding party and of course, Ayo Makun’s steaming ‘A Trip to Jamaica’, we can confidently anticipate a new dawn in Nollywood’s annual gross box office returns. Infact, those in the know are optimistic about a possible 800 million naira in annual box office takings which even with the devaluation of the naira will be close to $3 million.
While the N800m box office takings projection might not seem feasible any longer this year, other highly anticipated releases scheduled for later this year make 2016 a better year than 2015 by more than a mile.
Entertainment
“French Up Your Career” PH, 2025 :Consul General Of France Harps On Proficiency In French
The Consul, General of France in Nigeria, Laurent Favier has encouraged French Learners to improve their skills on the language, as there are lots of opportunities up for grabs on the job market with fluency in French Language, saying that there are many other career paths which are often less well known to learners of French.
Participants at the “French Up Your Career” event held in Port Harcourt.
Favier who disclosed this during the just concluded third edition of the seminar tagged “French Up Your Career” organized by Alliance
Française, Port Harcourt explained that learning French doesn’t mean adding a language to your resume. It rather provides learners with new opportunities. Irrespective of their area of interest, be it diplomatic and International relations, international development, translation and Interpretation or journalism.
According to the Consul General, it was important to create awareness for young Nigerians in Port Harcourt who desire to have better understanding of how been fluent in French can create diverse career opportunities for users of the languages in Nigeria and the world at large, emphasizing that proficiency in French could possibly make learner a bridge between Nigeria and fast-developing regions.
“You previously heard this morning about how you can improve your French skills. This afternoon you will discover how being fluent in French can provide a significant edge on the job market and lead to professional careers that you may not have even considered before,”
“This event comes at the right time, as it launches the celebration of the richness and diversity of French-speaking cultures, which will mobilize us for more than a month throughout Nigeria and alongside other French-speaking countries,” Favier added.
He further highlighted that French is spoken by over 300 million people across the world, saying that, it’s one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
“There are many neighbouring African countries to Nigeria ,who have French as one of their primary languages of communication including Cameroon, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So, what does this mean for you as students here in Nigeria?” He asked
“These sectors in which the French Embassy is often mobilized are the business and marketing field for example, as French is often the preferred language in many multinational companies, particularly those in the energy, oil and telecommunications sectors. I’m thinking as well in technology and IT,” he said
He noted that French-speaking countries in Africa are investing heavily in tech, innovation, and infrastructure, revealing that companies in Tech are looking for bilingual professionals to assist with software localization, customer support, and managing projects in French-speaking regions.
“The French embassy is not only mobilized to help learners discover promising sectors. We are also providing our support and expertise in
training teachers and optimizing university programs,” he summed up
Also, the linguistics cooperation attaché, French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange, who also gave a lecture at the seminar, in an interview with Newsmen said that the main purpose of the seminar was to be more informative and supportive to those who want to make a skill out of French Language,saying that as the linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy it is her duty to promote French language through culture.
She cited traditional stereotypes as a major challenge affecting the growth and development of French in Nigeria, as school, teachers at the primary and secondary level in most cases teach French using the traditional way, where students learn French, but could not put words and grammar together as a skill for communicate.
“French is important. I don’t see French as colonization, l see French as a key to embrace globalization, l hope that learners will be inspired and ready to embrace the global village,” Losange said.
She however said that the French Embassy is working to ensure that equipments to facilitate the learning of French is put in place to enable learners improve their skills fast, which in two to three years learners should be able to communicate with French, advising learners to be intentional with learning the language, through social media and other workable devices to advance their skills for certification and better opportunities.
Highlight of the event which had about 250 participants in attendance was the eloquence award ceremony where students were awarded for their eloquence in French language by the Director, Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs.Marina Lacal alongside the Linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange.
After two edition of the seminar it was the turn of the Alliance Française, Port Harcourt to host the Third edition.
It would be recalled that the first edition of ” “French Up Your Career” event was organized at the Alliance Française Lagos on October 23, the second one at UNILAG on November 24, 2024 respectfully.
Popular Nigerian comedienne, Tomama has revealed how she waited for Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid outside the bathroom.
She shared this while recounting her encounter with the singer at a recent event with heavy security.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Tomama explained that she waited by the bathroom in an attempt to have a one-on-one conversation with Wizkid.
She stated that she positioned herself near the restroom, hoping Wizkid would eventually use it, giving her the perfect opportunity to speak with him.
“Wizkid, I saw you, and I waited for you to pee, but you didn’t even stand up from where you were sitting. You just stayed there. All your crew members standing around got up to go pee. I was standing by the bathroom, waiting for you to come pee so that you would notice me,” she said.
Content creator and actor, Mr Macaroni has opened up about his financial struggles, saying he was both a victim of a scam and a failed investment in 2021.
He revealed that after losing all his savings, he resorted to borrowing to settle pending commitments and slipped into N500 million in debt.
He admitted that he is financially reckless and generous, impacting his financial stability negatively.
In lengthy post shared via his X handle yesterday, Mr Macaroni wrote, “Sometime around 2020/2022, I was a victim of a scam and simultaneously a failed investment that cost me all I had saved at the time. It shook me deeply but I told no one about it. If you know me well enough, you would know I do not like to share my problems. I could be going through the worst and at the same time helping others solve their own problems but I just would never share mine.”
“After I lost all the money I had then, Trouble started when I had to borrow money from different sources to settle all pending commitments and also fulfill certain responsibilities I have always believed were mine to fulfill. I make money in millions so I never thought borrowing money to pay back with interest could ever be a problem. But I got too comfortable and it took me a long time to realise that I was using the money I was earning to pay back interests. Also, my financial recklessness did not help. Please don’t borrow money! But if you must, please be responsible.”
The actor stated that 2024 marked a pivotal moment in his acting career but it was also the most challenging year for him as he faced over half a billion naira in debt.
Mr Macaroni revealed that his frustration grew worse after he was betrayed by someone he considered “a friend and sister.”
He added that with the support of family and friends who stood by him during his trying times, he now “feels better than I have felt in the last three years!”
The comedian stated that he decided to finally share his story to encourage others who are going through challenges.