Actress Faithia Williams’ historical drama Efunroye: The Unicorn has grossed N102 million at the Nigerian box office, days after she accused cinema operators of giving the film unfavourable screening times.
FilmOne Entertainment announced the milestone in a collaboration post with the actress on Instagram on Monday, thanking moviegoers for their support.
“Thank you Nigeria for turning up!!! Efunroye grosses a whooping 102 Million in the Box Office
“This wouldn’t be possible without your support, so we say thank you. Thank you for showing so much love to our film.
“Efunroye is still showing in Cinemas Nationwide. Get tickets Now!
“Distributed by @filmoneng”.
The box office update comes days after the actress publicly complained about the screening schedule allocated to the movie in some cinemas.
In a video shared online, Faithia alleged that some cinemas were giving the film late night and midday showtimes, which she said affected audience turnout and limited opportunities for cast members to interact with fans during promotional appearances.
“I’m heartbroken, and I have never done this before. But because this involves millions of naira, I have to cry out to my fans and ask them to plead on my behalf,” she said in one of the videos.
She added that the film was being assigned showtimes such as 12 noon and 9 pm, arguing that the schedule made it difficult for many cinema goers to watch the movie.
Released in cinemas nationwide on May 1, Efunroye: The Unicorn is inspired by the life of Madam Efunroye Tinubu, the influential 19th century merchant and political figure. The film stars Faithia Williams, Odunlade Adekola, Mercy Aigbe, Femi Adebayo, Ibrahim Yekini and Layi Wasabi.
Despite the actress’ complaints, cinema listings have shown the movie screening at different times across locations, including afternoon, evening and late night slots in some cinemas.
Concerns over cinema showtimes have been raised by several Nigerian filmmakers in recent years, with some producers arguing that limited access to favourable screening periods affects the commercial performance of locally produced films.
