Even with its massive publicity, Barbie has failed to beat Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’s opening week record in Nigerian cinemas, whilst Òrìṣà shines as Nollywood’s biggest 2023 release so far.
This summer is on to a good start for new movie titles.
Even with its massive publicity, Barbie has failed to beat Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’s opening week record in Nigerian cinemas, whilst Òrìṣà shines as Nollywood’s biggest 2023 release so far.
Barbie’s July 21, 2023 cinema release in Nigeria was met with a highly publicized premiere and followed up with some trends online. The movie closed its first week of theatrical release with ₦66 million.
Directed by Greta Gerwig and distributed by Warner Bros, the movie tells the story of Barbie and Ken who are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
With the buzz its campaign and publicity had before the official release, Barbie did meet the expectations people had as the title is number one at the domestic box office in Nigerian cinemas. It’s also currently showing in 66 locations across the country.
Despite sitting top of the chart, Barbie failed to reach Mission Impossible’s first-week debut of ₦78 million, with Tom Cruise’s latest spy thriller closing its second week in the second spot with an additional ₦50 million.
Yoruba epic, Òrìṣà, finished in third but shines as the biggest Nollywood opening in 2023 so far with ₦40 million in ticket sales. This is indeed a remarkable feat for a movie that was released alongside two heavyweight foreign titles.
Oppenheimer struggled to a fourth-place finish on the chart with an opening week gross of ₦26 million.
