Tunde Kelani’s ‘Ayinla’ hits N70.5m in box office — one month after release

‘Ayinla‘, a movie by Tunde Kelani, the veteran filmmaker, has grossed N70.49 million in the Nigerian box office more than four weeks after its release.

According to data by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), the figure put the movie in the sixth spot on the chart.

‘Black Widow’, ‘Fast and Furious’ as well as ‘Dwindle!’ snagged the top three spots while ‘Devil in Agbada’ and ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ occupied the fourth and fifth positions on the log.

Directed by Kelani and co-produced by Jade Osiberu’s Greoh Studios, the biopic examined the life and times of Ayinla Yusuf, the late Apala music star better known as Ayinla Omowura.

Ayinla was a sensation in the 1970s who dazzled many music lovers with his brand of songs before his tragic death on May 6, 1980.

The project released on June 18 sees Lateef Adedimeji, who played Ayinla, at the centre of attention and heated controversies in his community due to his popularity

It featured several other prominent figures including Mr Macaroni, Omawunmi Dada, Bimbo Manuel, Bimbo Ademoye, and Ade Laoye.

Adedimeji had recently recounted his experience playing the lead role in the movie.

“Ayinla set me on a mood way beyond my imagination. I have always prayed all my life that someday I’ll do a “waka pass” on a Tunde Kelani’s set, so it was shocking to me when I got the lead. Ayinla was away from my usual,” he had said.