Nollywood’s newest movie, “What About Us,” has made a big splash in Nigeria. It earned N24.6 million in just three days!
The movie came out on July 12, 2024. It’s a special project for Emmanuel Iren, who is the lead Pastor of Celebration Church International and is now trying his hand at being a movie producer.
According to Filmoneng, the folks who distributed the movie, “What About Us” made the most money at the box office from July 12 to 14, 2024.
Emmanuel Iren was in charge and also came up with the story. The script was written by Ife Olujuyigbe, and Kayode Kasum directed it. Bisola Badejo and Tochukwu Macdonald Sunday helped produce it. The movie is owned by Narrative Entertainment Production, which is linked to Pastor Iren.
So, what’s the movie about? It’s about a Christian couple who are having a hard time in their marriage. Things get worse when a new couple moves in next door, and the wife becomes too close to the neighbor’s husband.
The movie has a fantastic cast, including Uzor Arukwe, Folu Storms, Kunle Remi, Teniola Aladese, Aeyi Awolowo, Marycolette Unamka, and Atlanta Bridget Johnson.
Market Insights
People really like faith-based movies in Nollywood. This trend started with the success of “God Calling,” made by BB Sasore.
“God Calling” made about N36 million at the Nigerian box office and then went to Amazon Prime, where even more people watched it. It was one of the biggest hits in 2019 and got 11 nominations at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in 2020. It even won several awards!
Another big hit was “Breath of Life.” It won the Best Movie award at the 10th AMVCA. It got 11 nominations, including Best Movie, Best Director, and Best Lead Actor, and won six awards.
Future Prospects
Given how well faith-based movies are doing, “What About Us” has a good chance of being a big success, too. Kayode Kasum, the director, has a history of making hits.
By April, movies directed by Kayode Kasum had made more than N1 billion at the Nigerian box office. For example, his 2019 movie “Sugar Rush” was the fourth highest-earning Nigerian movie ever. More recently, his film “Ajosepo” made over N250 million at the box office earlier this year.
The movie “What About Us” includes Kunle Remi, one of Nigeria’s top actors in 2023. His star power likely helped the movie’s strong start.