The Story ⚡
3 years after the theatrical debut of Introducing the Kuju’s, the title is back on the big screen as not only a well-loved franchise but also a money maker.
Tell Me More
With the help of the Don and a part 1 streaming release, ITK sequel directed by Biodun Stephen returned with a second part in cinemas on April 27th.
Introducing The Kuju: Finding A Kuju’ sequel sees the Kujus again at loggerheads. They gather at a hotel resort for the traditional wedding of Mauyon and Lily, but things quickly take a turn for the worse when underlying tension meets unfortunate incidents as money, as well as people, go missing.
The movie, filmed in locations including Epe, Lekki and Victoria Island in Lagos is produced by Bisola Aiyeola and Winifred Okpapi. Mavin Records executive Don Jazzy swells the already star-studded cast which parades the likes of Aiyeola, Timini Egbuson, Femi Jacobs, Bimbo Ademoye and eccentric comedian, MC Lively. Other acts include Kunle Remi, Mimi Onalaja, Ronke Odusanya, Lilo Aderogba, Oli Ekun among others.
Box Office Numbers
Numbers from CEAN have revealed that the title did 3x better than its part one outing.
ITK (2020)
3 days – N5.86M
7 days – N9.55M
10 days – N13.91M
ITK 2 (2023)
3 days – N17.63M
7 days – N29.57M
10 days – N34.75M
3x booster – An analysis of numbers.
- Prime Video Release: On June 10th 2022, the family drama began streaming on prime video. The title has been able to charm up a wider pool of audiences which serves as a marketing advantage to boost the popularity of the brand-new one. Due to the convenient access of this title, one can say the franchise did not depreciate in value but rather amplified in value and audience interest which in turn has translated into the numbers observed on the big screens market.
Think of this as the Network effect where the distribution wheel of big-budget movies is no longer a single flying wheel. Because Prime Video and Netflix are taking up Nollywood titles, the compounding effect is beginning to reflect in the theatrical business.
In recent years we see how titles that do well on the big screen tend to do well for streaming platforms via driving eyeball, subscriptions and brand equity. For the very first time, we are seeing a case reverse, where the streaming distribution is pushing ticket sales.
- Don Jazzy: Upon the reveal that the Mavvin boss will be a central part of the story, a new pool of audiences was pulled for the title which helped boost strong interest
- Pandemic: Part one of ITK debuted at a time the box office was recuperating. Ticket sales had just tanked for 6 months, and cinemas were struggling to get back on their feet. As reflected in historical data, the title made an effort to open with double digits but barely pulled N13.91M after 10 days, wrapping up its sales with less than N30M
- April 2023: ITK 2 right out the gate landed with a double-digit opening number. The title was able to rank top 2 at the box office as it opened in 65 cinema locations across the country. This figure makes the biggest opening for a Nollywood title for the calendar year 2023.
In Summary
Without a doubt, ITK 2 is already successful and this lends logic to the concept of how the stream wars is vertically sustaining Nollywood.
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