Nigerian movie distributor, Cinemax, is giving a big thumbs up to actress and new movie producer Wumi Toriola. Her film, Queen Lateefah, made N100.2 million in just the first week!
Earlier, reports from Newslodge said the movie earned N58 million in its first weekend. It was the most money-making Nigerian movie that weekend in 2024.
Cinemax, started by Ope Ajayi, is trying to be a big name in Nigeria’s film world. They are working with local filmmakers and telling African stories.
Ajayi shared with Newslodge why Queen Lateefah is such a big deal: “By teaming up with creators like actress Wumi Toriola, Cinemax shows how colorful Nigerian storytelling can be.”
Ajayi also noted how important it is to support local talent and share stories that touch people in Nigeria. Cinemax wants to connect filmmakers with movie lovers and make sure good movies play in theatres all over the country. “Looking ahead, Cinemax aims to take Nigerian movies to the world,” Ajayi told Newslodge. Cinemax also wants to send its films to international areas and share them with more people.
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The success of Queen Lateefah shows Nollywood’s growing strength. It’s becoming a big player in the global movie scene.
This film quickly passed the N100 million mark in 2024. It will likely keep playing in cinemas for at least 12 weeks. With the way things are going, Queen Lateefah might even break more records! So far, 23,000 tickets have been sold.
The Nigerian box office declared, ” Queen Lateefah hits the N100M mark in just 7 days, becoming the 37th movie to do so.”
Cinemax has been helping both new and well-known filmmakers, and they’ve had many movie hits. In 2023, they helped make and share Ada Omo Daddy with actress and producer Mercy Aigbe-Adeoti, which did very well at the box office.
Cinemax has also shared other popular Nollywood movies, like Biodun Stephen’s Sista, Hotel Labamba, and Yemi ‘Filmboy’ Morafa’s Silence.
Looking into the future, Cinemax has some exciting plans. One of their big movies coming soon is Thinline, expected in December 2024. Mercy Aigbe is behind it. Ajayi also hinted at more projects coming in 2025, with more news to be shared soon.