The Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) has revealed that in November 2022, Nigerians spent a total of US$2 052 717 on movies. Of this revenue, Marvel’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ raked over US$1,3 million (65 per cent) of the total.
The Association disclosed that the sequel to the 2018 original became the most viewed movie in cinemas for November after three weeks of its release, surpassing top rivals, including ‘Brotherhood,’ ‘The Woman King,’ and ‘Black Adam.’
‘Brotherhood’ remained in the list of the top five highest-grossing movies for November, going toe to toe with Hollywood’s ‘The Woman King’ despite playing in Nigerian cinemas for one less week. The film earned US$715 980 and finished second at the box office in November.
According to CEAN, more than 223,297 people streamed to the cinemas to see the Marvel production across the country. That is 38,548 more than its closest rival, ‘Black Adam’, which had 184,749 viewers.
The top 10 Nollywood movies for the year so far have grossed a combined sum of US$2 245, with ‘Brotherhood’ overtaking ‘King of Thieves’ to become Nigeria’s Number 1 film of the year and the 5th highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time.
Remarking on 2022’s box office figures, Patrick Lee, the CEAN National President, said that the massive box office earnings of Nigerian movies is a testament to the shift in direction and interest in watching films screened at cinemas rather than the usual practice of streaming or downloading pirated movies.
Lee further indicated that a similar trend was observed in April when a 50 per cent increase in sales volume was recorded from the US$871 394 recorded in the same period last year.
