Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: film industry

  • Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ Shatters Records with 16 Oscar Nominations

    Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ Shatters Records with 16 Oscar Nominations

    According to LiveMint, the Academy’s 2026 Oscar nominations put Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” at the center of the awards conversation with a record-setting 16 nominations. The film landed major-category mentions including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, alongside acting and music nominations tied to the project. The vampire epic starring Michael B. Jordan has been praised for an ambitious genre approach and strong technical execution, including cinematography. The nomination haul is also being framed as a major awards-season win for Warner Bros. Additional commentary cited in coverage points to the studio’s strongest Oscar showing in decades and highlights Jordan’s career milestone nomination as a key narrative thread this season. Echotitbits take: Coogler has crossed into true “awards + box office” dual dominance. A vampire genre film sweeping nominations signals the Academy’s expanding taste. If “Sinners” wins Best Picture, it will be a genuine industry inflection point for how genre films are valued. Source: The Nation – https://thenationonlineng.net/ryan-cooglers-sinners-breaks-oscars-record-with-16-nominations/ 2026-01-22 Photo Credit: The Nation

  • Funke Akindele Shatters Box Office Records with Latest Nollywood Epic

    Funke Akindele Shatters Box Office Records with Latest Nollywood Epic

    Funke Akindele is being credited with another record-breaking opening weekend for her latest Nigerian film, with packed cinemas across the country reinforcing her status as Nollywood’s most bankable contemporary filmmaker.

    Analysts continue to cite her marketing precision as a core advantage, combining a strong social following with mass-appeal storytelling and cross-demographic casting.

    Market watchers expect the performance to trigger renewed competition for international streaming rights, as global platforms seek reliable Nigerian box office IP with proven demand.

    Echotitbits take: Akindele is a business blueprint. She understands audience psychology and distribution economics better than most. Her consistency is a strong signal to investors that Nigerian cinema can be high-yield when the product-market fit is disciplined.
    Source: NigeriaInfo – https://www.nigeriainfo.fm/news/homepagelagos/funke-akindele-breaks-african-box-office-records/ 2026-01-26
    Photo Credit: Punch

  • Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham Dominate Nigeria’s Early-2026 Box Office

    Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham Dominate Nigeria’s Early-2026 Box Office

    According to BusinessDay, Nollywood stars Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham are leading cinema charts as their December 2025 releases continued strong runs into January 2026, setting new benchmarks for domestic box office performance.

    Reports indicated Akindele’s latest title crossed major revenue milestones within weeks, while Abraham’s film remained close behind, supported by strong viewing interest including diaspora markets.

    Analysts say the success is boosting Nollywood’s broader value chain—marketing, costumes, post-production, and streaming—while increasing attention on international distribution and ancillary revenue beyond ticket sales.

    The Punch and Vanguard also highlighted the continued momentum and the competitive dynamic as a driver of rising production standards.

    Echotitbits take: These numbers underline Nollywood’s export potential. Expect more aggressive global distribution deals and tighter measurement of true producer earnings across cinemas and platforms in 2026.

    Source: Vanguard – https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/01/nollywoods-biggest-box-office-movies-of-2025-why-funke-akindele-remains-the-queen/ 2026-01-09

    Photo Credit: Vanguard

  • Funke Akindele Robbery Detail Emerges via Bimbo Thomas

    Funke Akindele Robbery Detail Emerges via Bimbo Thomas

    In a recent interview shared by The Punch, Nollywood actress Bimbo Thomas recounted a terrifying incident where she and Funke Akindele were attacked by armed robbers during the filming of ‘Omo Ghetto.’ The story highlights the security risks faced by Nigerian film crews on location.

    Thomas described how the gunmen stormed the set, threatening the cast and crew. She praised Akindele’s bravery during the ordeal, noting that the ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ star tried to protect her team despite the life-threatening situation.

    The incident happened during a night shoot in a volatile area of Lagos. Since the story went viral, many industry veterans have come forward with similar tales, calling for the establishment of a dedicated security task force for movie sets.

    Vanguard Nigeria corroborated the account, reporting: ‘Bimbo Thomas recounts how armed robbers attacked her and Funke Akindele, revealing the trauma they faced.’ The Nation Nigeria also covered the interview, quoting Thomas: ‘Funke was a lioness that day, standing up for all of us.’

    Echotitbits take: Nollywood’s growth has outpaced its infrastructure. Funke Akindele is the industry’s biggest star, and the fact that she was exposed to such danger is a wake-up call for better production safety.

    Source: The Punch — https://punchng.com/armed-robbers-attacked-funke-akindele-during-omo-ghetto-filming-actress-bimbo-thomas/#google_vignette January 5, 2026
    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • Nollywood creators clash as Christmas film dispute triggers a new copyright storm

    Nollywood creators clash as Christmas film dispute triggers a new copyright storm

    Figures cited by Ripples Nigeria show Nollywood is in a fresh copyright dispute after filmmaker Lily Perez accused another production of copying significant elements from her Christmas film.

    The story has reignited industry debate about originality, enforcement, and how YouTube-era distribution changes the speed and scale of disputes.

    Both sides are making public claims, and audiences are now asking for clear evidence rather than vague allegations.

    • Leadership (denial statement): ““The allegations… are false and… baseless.””
    • Lily Perez (Instagram statement): ““I have documentary evidence…””

    Echotitbits take: Digital distribution amplifies disputes before courts can. Watch for formal filings, takedown actions, and side-by-side proof that can be independently assessed—otherwise it stays in the rumour-and-reaction lane.

    Source: Ripples Nigeria — Jan 3, 2026 — https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/nollywood-hit-by-copyright-storm-as-filmmakers-clash-over-christmas-movie/

    Ripples Nigeria
    Jan 3, 2026
    Photo Credit: Ripples Nigeria

  • Funke Akindele’s “Behind The Scenes” smashes ₦200m opening weekend mark

    Funke Akindele’s “Behind The Scenes” smashes ₦200m opening weekend mark

    According to P.M. News, Funke Akindele’s latest cinema release, Behind The Scenes, crossed the ₦200 million threshold in its opening weekend, extending her run as one of Nollywood’s most bankable box-office names. 
    In the report, FilmOne Entertainment (the distributor) is credited with describing the performance as the biggest opening weekend of 2025 so far, with multiple opening-weekend benchmarks reportedly broken in the process. 
    TheNation’s coverage also reproduces a distributor caption praising Nigerian audiences for filling cinemas, framing the milestone as both a commercial win and a signal of sustained momentum for theatrical Nollywood releases in December. 
     • The Nation Newspaper (TheNationOnlineNG): “Behind The Scenes crossed ₦200M in just one weekend…” 
     • FilmOne Entertainment (Instagram, via distributor caption reproduced by The Nation): “We call her the Queen of Box Office for a reason!” 
    Analysis/Echotitbits take: This is a strong indicator that the “December cinema season” remains a major revenue window for Nollywood—if the legs hold beyond week one, expect more aggressive marketing pushes, piracy warnings, and competing studios timing their own releases to chase the same audience attention.