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| Biola Alabi |
Against stiff competition, Biola
Alabi's movie, 'Banana Island Ghost', B.I.G, has soared to the top,
grossing N35 million in its opening week in the Nigerian box office
that saw the release of two Hollywood blockbusters, 'Dark Tower', a
Steven King bestseller, starring Idris Alba and Matthew McConaughey,
and 'Girls Trip' starring Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifa.
The audiences across the country
overwhelmingly thronged the cinema houses to see the Nollywood
fantasy, action-comedy blockbuster – Banana Island Ghost. The movie
premiered recently at Harbour Point Event Center, Victoria Island,
Lagos.
Amidst other great home grown choices
like Alter Ego starring Nollywood superstar Omotala Jalade Ekeinde,
and Hakkunde, Banana Island Ghost (B.I.G) found its spot at number 1.
Of the news, Executive Producer - Biola
Alabi said, "We are extremely proud of the audience response
thus far. Convincing people to leave their homes and give you their
hard earned money is never easy. There's still a lot to do in order
to make our investors happy."
Industry experts are predicting that
Banana Island Ghost will continue to sellout cinema screens and
remain number one all through the Sallah holiday in August and well
into September. This is expected even as Nigerians continue to choose
Nollywood over big Hollywood pictures. When asked to comment on the
impressive results, the Writer/Director BB Sasore said "Frankly,
Thirty-Five million naira is humbling. To see so many people respond
well to something you created is satisfying. I know how hard my cast
and crew worked to achieve the quality we did, and I think that is
what Nigerians are reacting to. Picture quality, visual effects, and
great comedy, all tied up in a Nigerian story made 100% by
Nigerians." Part of the success of the film seems to come from
its innovative use of social media and strong word of mouth. Industry
heavyweights continue to extol the quality of the picture and the
story.
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