“Summer Rain” Opens Strong with ₦18 Million in Three-Day Debut

Adenike Adebayo-Esho’s latest film, “Summer Rain”, has made a notable entry into the Nigerian box office, grossing ₦18 million within its first three days in cinemas.

Released on February 7, 2025, the romantic drama quickly rose to the top of the charts, surpassing “Something About the Briggs“, which recorded ₦15.2 million in its opening weekend and has since accumulated ₦50.8 million. It also outperformed Funke Akindele’s “Everybody Loves Jenifa“, which debuted with ₦13.1 million and now stands at ₦1.8 billion after nine weeks in cinemas.

Starring , Kayode Jnr Ojuolape, Tina Mba, Genoveva Umeh, Michael O. Ejoor, Bolaji Ogunmola, Lateef Adedimeji, and Daniel Etim-Effiong, “Summer Rain” follows two friends who, after a decade of personal growth and self-discovery, realize they are meant for each other. The film, written by Owumi Ugbeye, continues Adebayo-Esho’s tradition of crafting emotionally resonant narratives.

Beyond its impressive debut, “Summer Rain” is competing with other strong box office contenders. “Den of Thieves 2” earned ₦9.7 million over the same weekend, bringing its total to ₦141.3 million in five weeks. Meanwhile, “Mufasa: The Lion King” added ₦9.2 million to its earnings, reaching ₦583.9 million after eight weeks, while “Lover Hurts” debuted with ₦8.3 million.

Adebayo-Esho, a former lawyer turned filmmaker, has steadily built her reputation in Nollywood through projects such as  “Chemistry” (2024,)”Looking for Baami” (2019) and “Reach” (2020).

As the film continues its theatrical run, its strong opening suggests it could maintain momentum in the coming weeks.