Nollywood: Drama top genre in 2023, comedy saved by A Tribe Called Judah

Drama was the best performing Nollywood genre of 2023, according to data from a report by Nollywood-focused publication, In Nollywood.

Published on Thursday, February 1, 2024, the Who Is Watching Nollywood? report stated that the best-performing films of the year were determined to have grossed over ₦50 million in cinemas.

For films that went straight to streaming platforms, they had to have spent more than a week in the top 10 rank. High audience social interaction was also a factor.

Following drama (31.3%) in the best-performing genre ranking was thrillers with 25%. Epics finished in the third spot with 18.8%, and romance got a 12.5% share.

While Nollywood filmmakers rushed comedy for years as the category to perform best with audiences, last year's performance share of only 12.4% may hint at a new era. In fact, until Funke Akindele's A Tribe Called Judah made its cinematic debut in mid-December, the comedy category had raked in just under ₦200 million, making it one of the least performing genres. But thanks to the record-breaking film, comedy closed this January with a gross of almost ₦2 billion.

'A Tribe Called Judah' debuted in Nigerians cinemas in December 2023 [ATCJ] Pulse Nigeria

The report also examined a total of 44 Nollywood films and series to determine the most common genres for the year. Drama ended up with the lion share of 45.5%.

"Despite the heavy popularity of projects in the epic genre, it only accounts for 6.8% while both the crime and action thrillers account for 25% combined," the report noted.

Comedy and romance each ended with 11.4% of the output considered for the report.

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