A TRIBE CALLED JUDAH
Funke Akindele presents her masterpiece “ A Tribe Called Judah” in a world where audiences are hungry for captivating and compelling performances. This film is set to captivate audiences with its captivating storytelling, powerful performances, and inspiring message of love and resilience.
‘A Tribe Called Judah’, released on the 15th of December 2023, has broken records in Nigerian cinema, including the biggest weekend opening, the largest opening for a female director, and the highest-grossing Nollywood film ever. The movie has already grossed N1 billion nationwide in three weeks and is expected to surpass Black Panther; Wakanda Forever, which barely crossed the billion naira mark after 16 weeks at the box office.
The movie is about a mother, Jedidah Judah, who wakes up to nightmares of her father disowning her after becoming pregnant. She wakes up and begins her morning prayers, anointing herself and her children. The movie highlights the mother’s discipline, kindness, and willingness to help others. However, she then suffers from kidney failure, forcing her children to cooperate in crime. Fired from work, Emeka learns that his CEO is a money launderer. He and his siblings attempt to break into the shop, but Shina’s disobedience saves them. The movie ends with them successfully taking $850,000.
January 2nd, 2023, the movie became the highest-grossing Nollywood film ever with a reported N854 million at the box office, surpassing her previous films ‘Battle on Buka Street’ (N668.4 million) and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ (N636.1 million). As of 30th December 2023, the movie made over N728M, making it officially the highest-grossing Nollywood film.
Despite skepticism about Funke Akindele’s success, the actual admission numbers for the movie clearly explain its remarkable performance. According to the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), in less than 3 weeks, A Tribe Called Judah with 231,053 admissions surpassed the admission
records of blockbusters such as Sugar Rush (229,060) and King of Boys (220,565). Experts are predicting that before its final run at the cinemas, the film could break Omo Ghetto’s admission record of 449,901.
During the festive season, the average ticket price for watching a movie in regular cinemas is N6000, while it goes up to N7000 at IMAX cinemas. The film’s ability to surpass a billion in record time is a straightforward outcome, as the Nigerian Box Office earned over N1.65 billion and sold over 461,000 tickets from 1st to 31st December 2023.
Funke Akindele’s effective marketing skills and strong social media following have contributed to her films’ appeal, particularly in the southwestern region of Nigeria, which holds 57% of the total 81 cinemas in Nigeria. She expressed gratitude for the film’s record-breaking success on social media. She thanked the cast and crew for their instrumental roles in making it the biggest opening for her and the top Nollywood weekend. She praised the cinematic masterpiece as the ultimate cinematic triumph of 2023.
A cinematic gem that interests audiences in a dramatic journey – Funke Akindele nailed it with ‘A Tribe Called Judah’. You don’t want to miss out on ‘A Tribe Called Judah’! Its riveting storytelling, compelling performances, and thought-provoking themes make it a must-watch for all cinema enthusiasts. And guess what? It’s not even available on Netflix yet!”. For the lot who haven’t seen the movie “A tribe called Judah ”, prepare to be captivated by the magic, experience, power of love, and resilience.
