According to data from COMSCORE, Living in Bondage: Breaking Free has topped The Bling Lagosian’s ₦23.4 Million to become the biggest opening weekend for a Nollywood film in 2019 with ₦25.8 Million.
Although box office returns for Nollywood films have been abysmal this year, with Kunle Afolayan’s Mokalik and Bolanle Austen-Peter’s Bling Lagosian the few exceptions, the film’s franchise status and the buzz leading to its release ensured its impressive opening.
Living in Bondage: Breaking Free is the first of the end-of-year blockbusters — Ay’s Merry Men, Mo Abudu’s Your Excellency and Jade Osiberu’s Sugar Rush — expected to surpass the ₦100 Million mark.
In an interview with Ynaija, executive producer Charles Okpaleke puts the film’s budget at around ₦200 million, an astronomical sum by Nollywood standards. Okpaleke credits a desire to produce a sequel worthy of the original for the huge budget: “I didn’t want to take any chances because this is a film that means so much to a lot of people. We hope to make it a better story.”
The film, which is Ramsey Nouah’s directorial debut, continues the story of Andy Okeke through his son, Nnamdi Okeke. The film stars Kenneth Okonkwo, Swanky JKA, Enyinna Nwigwe, Kanayo.O.Kanayo, Ramsey Nouah, Bob Manuel Udokwu, Kalu Ikeagwu and Nancy Isime.