EbonyLife Film’s FIFTY Makes N20 Million in Holiday Weekend │Breaks Nigerian Box Office Records

Mo Abudu‘s ‎FIFTY, the new age drama chronicling the lives of four fifty year old women living in Lagos, is said to have broken Nigerian Box Office records by making N20 million in a holiday weekend.

Despite competition from about 8 films in the last 2 weeks, FIFTY has triumphed gallantly at the box office, consistently selling out dates in Ikeja, Abuja, Surulere, Lekki, Ibadan, Akure and other locations across the country.

People who love the film are saying that one of the strongest points for FIFTY is the film’s ability to attract a new type of audience, particularly middle-class women who have gone out in groups to catch the action.

FIFTY, which earlier on premiered before a global audience in London at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival, will be remembered as one of the most high-profile movie premieres –  one which attracted highly respected individuals including businessman and billionaire Aliko Dangote, Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, noted economist, entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony Elumelu, healthcare philanthropist and wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and more.

Here is what people are saying about their experience after watching FIFTY:

“In the first instance, the premiere of the movie was unparalleled in Nigeria’s history. It attracted the creme de la creme of the society‎, all of whom were treated to a first-rate pre-show dinner that set the stage for the main act. The movie itself is a bold move that reflects life in its true sense.  The characters in the award winning movie were all flawed, but we love them all. We have no choice. We are all flawed. I’ll recommend the film any day and I am ready to watch it ten times!” – Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

 “FIFTY has brought the pride back in me, the pride of being a Nigerian! And that’s saying it the way it is!” – Tunde Fagbenle, Punch Newspaper

“Nigerians can look forward to a big treat when FIFTY hits the cinemas nationwide from December 18, 2015. Kudos to my sister Mo Abudu and the entire cast and crew of FIFTY.” -Tunde Kelani, Film Maker

“I found the film entertaining and feel that it will be an unquestionable box office hit amongst its audience.” – Nadia Denton, Film Industry Specialist, Publicist and Author of The Nigerian Filmmaker’s Guide to Success

 “It was an amazing film – the music, costumes, story, the elegance with which the plot was delivered. I loved it.” – Ojoma Ochai, Director, British Council

 “The director, Biyi Bandele; the executive producer, Mo Abudu; and The Four Titans: Ireti Doyle, Omoni Oboli, Dakore Egbuson-Akande and Nse Ikpe Etim must be applauded for their valiant efforts in bringing a whole new level of cinematic excellence to Nollywood. It may not be Titanic or Lord of the Rings, but I didn’t see a single native doctor, and nobody ran mad. The BFI chose well.” – VIVA NAIJA (www.viva-naija.com)

 “The buildup of the movie is beautiful … a great source of entertainment with its brilliant cast and plot twists … the costume choices fit the style of the movie and were carefully selected to portray the image of the actors … the writer was very inventive with the plot and kept us glued to the screen … It was everything but boring and the characters were credible with their words and acting … Having seen this movie already, would I still go back to watch it again? Hell, Yes! I would, you should too.” – Crystal Clear Words (www.crystalclearwords.com)

 I really enjoyed it and it was great to watch it with such an enthusiastic audience. It was funny, full of melodrama and disarmingly touching and courageous at the same time – a side of Lagos you don’t often get to see and a really original film. I loved the cast and characters and it was so refreshing to see a film that gave a voice to the ‘fifty-something’ women of Nigeria. I’m sure it will be a massive hit.” – Charlotte Moore, BBC 1’s Controller

For recording the highest-grossing opening weekend for any Nigerian film, FIFTY is now certified as the Number 1 Nigerian film of the year, with Box Office analysts predicting that it should end in over N100 million by the end of January 2016.

The support FIFTY continues to garner among Nigerian audiences shows that Nigerians do support their own as FIFTY’s success has been borne out of an appreciation for the quality and relevance of the film.

The movie is showing now in cinemas across Nigeria.

With every FIFTY cinema ticket purchased, an audience member has a chance to win prizes in the “WIN BIG with FIFTY” campaign. The star prize is a brand new Mercedes Benz B Class courtesy Skymit Motors. Other prizes include trips to Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, London and Dubai courtesy WakaNow. Also, you stand a chance to win 32” flat screen TV screens courtesy Konga, Shopping Vouchers worth N50,000 courtesy Spar Park ‘n’ Shop, and many more.

That’s not all! The first 50 people to watch FIFTY for the next 50 days, since December 18, 2015, stand a chance to win a free meal at Sweet Sensation or Domino’s Pizza in the  offer tagged “50 prizes for 50 days”.