Nollywood’s latest release, “Funmilayo Ransome Kuti,” has opened with an impressive ₦32 million over the weekend. These numbers make the biopic not only the top film of the weekend but also record the highest ever opening for a biopic in Nollywood’s history.
Notably, the ₦32 million opening continues an interesting trend for Nollywood movies at the box office in 2024. According to data from Nigerian Box Office on X, it makes it the 11th weekend out of 21 weeks spent this year that a Nollywood movie has topped the box office charts.
This represents a significant improvement over 2023 where indigenous movies led for only 14 weeks, and just nine weeks in 2022.
“Funmilayo Ransome Kuti” celebrates the life and legacy of the Nigerian woman of the same name who battled colonialism and patriarchy.
Released on May 17, the film is directed and produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters and stars a stellar cast including Kehinde Bankole, Jide Kosoko, Ajoke Silva, Adebayo Salami, Omowunmi Dada, Iyimide Ayo-Olumoko, Ibrahim Suleiman, Adunni Ade, Dele Odule, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, and Yewande Osamein.
On the international scene, DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 4” continues its impressive run, grossing $1.7 million in global markets outside of America over the weekend. As of May 17, the movie has amassed $192.7 million domestically and $342.6 million in overseas territories for a total cume of $535 million worldwide.
Not only has it surpassed the lifetime grosses of “Hotel Transylvania 3” ($528 million) and “Ralph Breaks the Internet” ($529 million), but it also stands as the fourth highest-grossing animated film in the post-COVID era.