“Living in Bondage: Breaking Free” opened up on November 8, 2019 with N25.8 million.
Apart from setting new records like being the ‘Highest Opening Weekend for a Nollywood Film in 2019,’ it also displaced Fox’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” — the latest installment in the popular Terminator franchise.
Within seven days (November 8–14th), the 2019 sequel made a total of N48.6 million, better than movies from big foriegn studios like Disney, Paramount, and Warner Bros.
By its second weekend (November 15–17th), “Living Bondage” retained the number one spot by grossing an extra N24 million.
This was better Sony’s “Charlie’s Angels” which started showing in Nigeria on November 15, 2019. The 2019 American action comedy film opened with only N10 million.
Written and directed by Elizabeth Banks, the third installment in the Charlie’s Angels film series stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the new generation of Angels.
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All about the “Living in Bondage” sequel
The 2019 movie, which is Ramsey Nouah’s directorial debut, continues the story of Andy Okeke through his son, Nnamdi Okeke. Viewers watch on as he follows his father’s questionable path to riches.
Speaking with The Guardian after the screening, the Executive Producer, Dotun Olakurin said, “If you watch Living In Bondage in the 90s, you will know that it is a very powerful story everybody in Nigeria can relate to at some point or the other. What we have done is run the same powerful story into the current times and you can relate to it just as well if not more."
“It brings in all the issues we deal with in Nigeria of today in a way that we can relate with comfortably and happily. It’s like saying you have Mercedes of the 90s and Mercedes of nowadays. For us, it is a child of the child — that a story of the previous story.”
The film features veterans like Kenneth Okonkwo, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Bob Manuel Udokwu, Kalu Ikeagwu and new faces — Swanky JKA, Enyinna Nwigwe, Munachi Abii, Nouah, and Nancy Isime.
See here for the three important things the "Living in Bondage" sequel got right and the 1 thing it got wrong.
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