Highest grossing Nollywood movies of 2016

Few days from now, we will bid farewell to 2016
and usher in 2017,with great expectations, yet the
events that helped to shape the outgoing year will
not be forgotten in a hurry.
For the Nigerian movie industry, the year has not
been short of surprise box office hits despite
odds. In fact, after the world premiere of eight of
Nollywood movies at this year’s Toronto
International Film Festival,TIFF, which held
between September 8 and 18, 2016, our movies
came into spotlight, out-grossing some of
Hollywood’s blockbuster movies in the local box
office. Here, we take a look at some of the
highest-grossing Nollywood films of all time in
the Nigerian cinemas.
76
Everybody has been talking about ’76, yet many
are convinced that it’s one of the greatest films
that came out this year. The film has not only
redefined the place of Nollywood in the
international film market, but also, it has set the
pace for the emergence of a new film culture in
Africa. Having debuted at this year’s Toronto
International Film Festival,TIFF, ’76 is looking to
set a new record in Nollywood. In fact, since it
premiered late last month, the country’s box office
has been busy with theatre goers thronging the
cinema hosues to see the film. Though it might
not score high on the list of the biggest grossing
films of the year, ’76 may turn out to be one of
the most profitable, thematic and action-pack
movie which has all the signs of being a bigger
hit still on home formats.
Wives on strike
Omoni Oboli has produced many blockbuster
movies in recent times, but her latest movie,
“Wives on Strike” has set her apart from other
Nollywood producers. The film, reportedly grossed
N51 million in 17 days of its cinematic debut, with
views by over 50,000 people across cinema
houses nationwide. With its fourth week running,
the movie maintained the tempo, as theatre goers
were still thronging the cinema houses to see the
film. The film kept selling, even with the presence
of latest Hollywood releases like “The Barber’s
Shop”, “The Huntsman” and “ Jungle Book.”
Starring Omoni Oboli, Uche Jombo-Rodriguez,
Ufuoma Mcdermoth, Kehinde Bankole, Julius
Agwu, Keneth Okonkwo the film reportedly sold
N15 million in three days in its first weekend at
the cinema, making it the first ever Nollywood
movie to do so in the history of box-office
records in Nigeria. Today, it’s on record that the
film grossed over N67 million in the box office,
coming after AY’s “A Trip to Jamaica” which
grossed N137 million. This is not surprising,
however, because Omoni’s earlier productions, “
Being Mrs Elliot and The First Lady” were no less
box office hits of 2014 and 2015 respectively.
The Wedding Party
Box Office smash hit that raised the bar in
Nollywood during this outgoing year. The film,
from Elfike Collective, grossed N36 million in its
opening weekend in cinemas across the country
centres on Dunni Coker (Adesua Etomi), a 24-
year-old gallery owner and only daughter of her
parents about to marry the love of her life, IT
entrepreneur Dozie (Banky W) has redefined box
office records in the Nigerian Film Industry. The
romcom which hit the cinemas on Wednesday
and Thursday night sold-out to the admiration of
the audience. The tally places “The Wedding
Party” as the biggest opening weekend film of the
year, ahead of A Trip to Jamaica and Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice. As Mo Abudu
remarked, “The Wedding Party is tracking to
surpass all Box Office records including that of
the impressive ‘A Trip to Jamaica’ particularly
ahead of the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday
Season.”
A Trip to Jamaica
Ayo Makun, popularly called AY, returned to
reckoning during the last quarter of the year, with
his latest movie, “ A Trip to Jamaica”, which
premiered in September. The film reportedly
grossed over N137 million in the cinemas, beating
box office revenues of all the big budget
Hollywood including Batman Vs. Superman,
Captain America, Suicide Squad, London Has
Fallen, Gods Of Egypt among others, and
Nollywood titles released in 2016.
Shot in Nigeria, America and Jamaica, “A Trip to
Jamaica” indeed, is the highest grossing movie in
Nigeria this year. The comic movie has been
showing in all 28 cinema houses across the
country. Starring Hollywood acts Roberts and Dan
Davies, Jamaica acts Paul Campbell and Rebecca
Silvera, Ghanaian actor Chris Attoh and Nigerian
actors that include AY Makun, Funke Akindele,
Nse Ikpe Etim, Patoranking, Cynthia Morgan and
Ras Kimono, the film focuses on Akpos (AY) and
his fiancée Bola (Funke Akindele), who travel
across the Atlantic to visit family, they
unexpectedly end up on an adventure they could
never imagine. AY, whose first movie, ‘30 Days In
Atlanta’ broke Guinness World Record was
optimistic that the hardship in the land would not
affect the performance of the movie in the box
office. And how right, he was!
The CEO
Kunle Afolyan’s mystery thriller,”The CEO” came
out with a bang, premièring aboard an Air-
France flight to Paris, France, and stirring up
curiosity among the viewers. But the high
expectations that greeted the cinematic release
of the film was not sustained after it grossed N60
million in the box office. Notwithstanding, “The
CEO” remains one of the best movies that raised
the stake in Nollywood during the year under
review . Despite its international success, “The
CEO” has all the magic that can keep it showing
in the cinemas for a long time.
Ghana Must Go and Fifty
A comic movie, “Ghana Must Go” which was shot
in Ghana and starring the likes of Yvonne Okoro,
Ik Ogbonna, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Helen Paul,
Ada Ameh and Nkem Owoh aka Osuofia grossed
N32 million in the box office, whereas Mo Abudu’s
“Fifty” raked in N44 million in addition to the N50
million it grossed last year.