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It’s safe to say Nollywood has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past 10 years. When cinemas increasingly started to pop up in different parts of Nigeria from the beginning of the 2010s, time slots were mostly filled with American movies of diverse genres.
These days, there’s barely space to fit in the big names from the big foreign studios. Currently, Tanwa Savage, The Cleanser, Sanitation Day are just some of the movies ruling the big screens across the country. But the big cinematic attraction at the moment is undoubtedly the Funke Akindele-powered comedy “Omo Ghetto: The Saga”.
The film has grossed over ₦521 million at the box office. it surpassed the record of 2016 film “The Wedding Party” to become the highest ever grossing Nigerian film. Co-directing with her husband JJC Skillz, Akindele has proven that local pictures can compete with their globally renowned Western counterparts within Nigeria. How? By continuing to break more records through the red-hot demand for “Omo Ghetto: The Saga”.
The comedy (which stars Funke Akindele herself, Chioma Akpotha, Nancy Isime, and Eniola Badmus) has officially knocked Hollywood blockbuster ‘Avengers: Endgame’ off the number two spot on the highest grossing list. If you recall, the Marvel movie shattered records in 2019 with its gross of N528,396,437, a figure that landed it at the lofty spot of the second highest grossing movie in Nigeria’s box office history. With the latest numbers released by CEAN, ‘Omo Ghetto’ has become the second highest film moving ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to the number three spot.
It’s nothing short of inspiring how Funke Akindele has managed to establish herself as a force in Nollywood over the years. Born on the 24th of August 1977, Akindele is the second of three children (two girls and one boy). Her first real outing was starring in popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom “I Need to Know”, which ran from 1998 to 2002.
But her big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the now famous “Jenifa”. Since then, she has managed to etch her name into the consciousness of many Nigerians as a household name.
“Omo Ghetto: The Saga” was a labour of love that bore beautiful fruits. Parts of the film were shot in Dubai and the production schedule was also affected due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.
Even popular rapper Naira Marley made a cameo appearance in the movie (which was his film debut). Yemi Alade was also involved.
It fills us with joy to see that Nollywood is making strides, and we can’t wait for the next big accomplishment that will come out of the industry.
Nollywood forever
