The world of John Wick may sport pencil- and gun-wielding assassins, but the Nigerian audience have made their choice for the second time, and it’s the homegrown epic “Iyalode.”
Both in their second weekends at the box office, “Iyalode” grossed ₦43 million, 26% more than “Ballerina’s ₦34 million.
In nominal terms, its “Iyalode’s second win over “Ballerina” after the former debuted with ₦103.7 million as opposed to the latter’s ₦58.5 million. But relatively, the second weekend earnings decline is much steeper for Toyin Abraham’s Yoruba-language epic (-58%) than the Hollywood spy-thriller (-41%).
Still, it’s once again proof of the force that indigenous epics are in Nigerian cinema. Back in April, “Labake Olododo” held the top spot at the box office for three consecutive weekends—amidst stiff competition from Hollywood action heavyweights such as “A Working Man” and “A Minecraft Movie”—ceding only when Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” came knocking.
In the present case, neither the nostalgia of Disney’s “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action adaptation (which debuted to a mere ₦16.8 million) nor the star power of Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible—Fallout” could make “Iyalode” budge.
During the week, the film was also by far the highest earner, raking in ₦22.6 million on Monday, ₦9.5 million on Tuesday, ₦8.6 million on Wednesday and ₦14.9 million on Thursday.
Below are the Top 6 highest-grossing films of the June 13 – 15 weekend (according to Nigerian Box Office on X)
- “Iyalode”: ₦43 million (Weekend 2)
- “Ballerina”: ₦34.4 million (Weekend 2)
- “Mission: Impossible—Fallout”: ₦21.6 million (Weekend 4)
- “Red Circle”: ₦17 million (Weekend 2)
- “How to Train Your Dragon”: ₦16.8 million (Weekend 1).
- “Ori: The Rebirth”: ₦9.4 million (Weekend 7)