The Nigerian movie industry has improved in the last three to four years. With actors, producers and directors taking their work to the cinemas, it’s been obviously a great step.

From 2010 till date, we have had so many blockbusters. This time they are good that one can’t even tell they are Nigerian movies.

Encomium Weekly did a survey of 10 highest grossing Nigerian movies, how much the movies cost, cast and crew, how much was raked in and awards they won…

IJE (The Journey) – DIRECTED by Chineze Anyaene, PRODUCED by Paula Moreno and Chineze Anyaene, WRITTEN by Samuel Tilseh and Chineze Anyaene. STARRING Geneivive Nnaji, Odalys Garcia, Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde, Jeff Swarthout, Clem Ohaneze and Ulrich Que.

Ije was released April 1st, 2010, in the United States, and July 30th, 2010, in Nigeria. A Nigerian-American drama, it received several nominations and awards including the award for Best Editing at the Treasure Coast International Film Festival and Best International Student Film at the Swansea Bay Film Festival in 2010. Spending over N100 million on the movie, the producer, Chineze Anyaene said she has made only about half of the money she invested in it. Ije was in the cinemas for about 12 weeks.

PLOT: Chioma (Geneivive) travels from Nigeria to the United States to aide her sister, Anya (Omotola) who is being charged with the murder of three men including her own husband.

FIGURINE – DIRECTED by Kunle Afoyalan, PRODUCED by Kunle Afoyalan and Kemi Adesoye. STARRING Ramsey Nouah, Kunle Afolayan, Omoni Oboli, Funlola Afoyebi, Jide Kosoko, Wale Adebayo, amongst others. It was released in October 2, 2009.

The movie gulped over N50 million. It received 10 nominations and won 5 awards at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2010, including Best Picture, Heart of Africa, AMAA achievement in Cinematography, and AMAA achievement in Visual Effects. The Figurine was at the cinemas for at least 3 months, showing at least once a day to a filled cinema hall.

PLOT: While serving at a National Youth Service Corp Camp, two friends find a mystical sculpture in an abandoned shrine in the forest and one of them decides to take it home. Unknown to them, the sculpture is from a Yoruba goddess, Araromire which bestows seven years of good luck followed by another seven years of bad luck to anyone who encounters it. The fortunes of the two friends began to change for good, as they become successful and wealthy. However, after seven years, things began to change for worse.

MIRROR BOY – DIRECTED by Obi Emelonye, PRODUCED by Patrick Campbell, WRITTEN by Obi Emelonye, NARRATED by Frazier James. STARRING Geneivive Nnaji, Osita Iheme, Edward Kagutuzi and Fatima Jebbe. Mirror Boy is a Nigerian fantasy adventure drama. It was short in England and The Gambia, and was released on January 17, 2011.

The award winning movie gulped over N70 million and was at the cinemas for about 12 weeks, showing at least twice a week. In London, it was the first African movie to be premiered at the prestigious Empire Leicester Square which earned it loads of praises.

In Ghana, Mirror Boy reigned so well to become the highest grossing movie ever in Ghanian cinemas and only in the first week at the Nigerian cinemas, it grossed over N12 million.

PLOT: The movie is a mystical journey through Africa as seen through the eyes of a 12 year old boy. After a London street fight in which a local boy is hurt, Tijan’s mother decides to take him back to their roots, The Gambia. On their arrival in Banjul, Tijan encounters a strange apparition, a boy smiling at him in a mirror and vanishing

THE RETURN OF JENIFA – DIRECTED by DJ Tee, WRITTEN and PRODUCED by Funke Akindele (Jenifa). The movie was premiered in the U.S and Nigeria. STARRING Funke Akindele, Antar Laniyan, Eldee D-don, Iyabo Ojo, Ireti Osayemi, Denrele, Omawumi, Yinka Quadiri and a host of others.

It was premiered at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, on September 23, 2011. It was at the cinemas for over 12 weeks. The award winning movie is still aired by television stations till date.

PLOT: the movie revolves around the life of the main character, Jenifa. Here, she registers to be part of a dancing competition, but when she is asked to undergo a HIV test, as part of the requirements for entry into the competition, she is unsure of her past exploits and flees. Jenifa is later forced to withdraw from the society she once ruled and relocates back to the village. Going back to the village, however, does not stop her from being her crazy self. She learns that life is not all about being a big girl.

ANCHOR BABY – DIRECTED by Lonzo Nzekwe, PRODUCED by Lonzo Nzekwe and Jeremy Hood. STARRING Omoni Oboli, Sam Sarpong, Terri Oliver. It was released in the U.S on January 27, 2011 and in Nigeria on December 10, 2010.

Anchor Baby is a Nigerian Drama thriller. At the 2010 Harlem International Film Festival in New York, the movie won Best Film, and Omoni, the main protagonist, Best Actress. The movie was written in two weeks and shot in 12 days, in USA and Canada. The movie cost about N80 million, with the scene not shot in the country and the storyline different from what we are use to seeing. Anchor Baby was at the cinemas for 18 weeks, showing twice a day for the first eight weeks.

PLOT: The movie is about an expectant couple, Joyce and Paula Unanga who are living in the United States illegally. Their dream is to have their baby there which will automatically grant the baby a US citizenship. The choices and struggle they go through to achieve their dreams are showcased in this emotion filled drama.

MAAMI – Maami was released february 8, 2012 by Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Film and Television Productions. It STARS Funke Akindele, Wale Ojo, Tamilore Kuboye, amongst others, with special appearance from Yinka Davies, Kayode Balogun, Fatai Rolling Dollar and Biodun Kupoluyi.

Adapted by Tunde Babalola from Femi Osofisan’s novel. The movie is about love, perseverance and fate. It was DIRECTED and PRODUCED by Tunde Kelani and was showing at the cinemas for over 10 weeks. It is still not on DVD yet.

PLOT: The movie is about a single parent, Maami and her young son with a gift of loving heart, enterprising spirit and a brave soul. She is the centre of her son’s world until he longs for the father he has never known, a man with a terrible secret.

THE MEETING – The meeting was premiered on Friday, October 19, 2012, at Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island. A Mord Pictures Production for Audrey Silva Company. DIRECTED by Mildred Okwo, PRODUCED by Rita Dominic and CO-WRITTEN by Tunde Babalola.

One of the most anticipated movies of 2012, the CAST are Rita Dominic, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Kate Henshaw, Jide Kosoko, Chinedu Ikedezie, amongst others. It was showing at the cinemas at least four times a day when it was released and for over eight weeks. The movie cost over N30 million.

PLOT: The Meeting is a romantic comedy set in Abuja following the trials of a Lagos-based corporate executive, Makinde Esho, who finds himself at the mercy of political patronage and Cupid’s arrow while in hot pursuit of a meeting to secure a government contract.

PHONE SWAP – is a romantic comedy, another high grossing movie that cost more than N60 million to make. PRODUCED and DIRECTED by Kunle Afolayan. It was WRITTEN by Kemi Adesoye and STARRED Ramsey Nouah, Wale Ojo, Nse Ikpe-Etim and Joke Silva.

The movie was nominated for multiple African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). It was awarded more cinema slots for the pleasure of movie lovers and brand agencies clamouring for private screening for their clients. Genesis Cinema, Lekki, Lagos had six showings a day from 10am to 9pm, also showing at Ozone, Yaba and Silverbird cinemas nationwide. It was premiered March 7, 2012, at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel & Suites and also in Ghana.

PLOT: Akin and Mary met for the first time at an airport where they accidentally bumped into each other and mistakenly swapped their identical Blackberry phones. This leads to a destination mix-up, after they receive one another’s text regarding a travel destination. Consequently, Akin ends up travelling where Mary is supposed to go and vice-versa.

MARRIED BUT LIVING SINGLE – The multi-award winning blockbuster, Married But Living Single was PRODUCED by Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul, WRITTEN and DIRECTED by Tunde Olaoye and STARS Joke Silva, Funke Akindele, Joseph Benjamin, Tina Mba, Femi Brainard, and a host of others.

Married But Living Single was inspired by a best selling book written by Pastor Femi Fasheru revolving around women, their career and family ties. The movie was premiered in Nigeria in June 2012, London, October 2012 and Aberdeen, November 2012. The movie cost over N30 million to be produced.

PLOT: Joseph Benjamin, an entrepreneur is happily married to Funke Akindele, who is the creative director of an advertising agency and so engrossed in her career of winning big brands for her company. Benjamin is diagnosed with Cancer of the lungs and needed to travel to India for surgery and it was advised his wife come with him. After Funke (Kate) agreed, the biggest telecom company gives her a company a juicy brief, so she is torn between travelling to help her husband recuperate and winning the biggest account ever for her company.

TANGO WITH ME – WRITTEN, PRODUCED and DIRECTED by Mahmood Ali-Balogun. STARRING Geneivive Nnaji, Joseph Benjamin, Joke Silva, Bimbo Manuel, Ahmed Yerima and Bimbo Akintola and was released in May, 2010.

The movie is a Nigerian romantic drama and had lots of AMAA nominations in 2011 and 2012. It cost over N30 million to make and was premiered at Odeon Cinema, London and Nigeria also. It was at the cinemas for over 12 weeks, showing everyday.

PLOT: Tango With Me reveals a couple, Geneivive and Joseph. They met three years four months and three days prior to the counselling session at an investment bank Lola has been posted to serve in. Successfully leaping over high hurdles of tribalism, parallelism, in terms of religious denomination in the christian faith.

Culled from Encomium

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