Box office king AY's 'Christmas in Miami' hits N100.7 million in 1st week

Christmas in Miami, the latest film in the Akpos franchise created by comedian Ayo Makun, has raced to N100.7 million in its opening weekend at the box office.

The comedy film grossed a total of N100,695,675, according to figures compiled by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN).

The film was screened in 61 locations and watched by more than 49,000 viewers since its December 24, 2021 release.

The film's performance is the best opening of any Nollywood film this year, and finished the weekend second only to Disney's Spider-Man: No Way Home which ended its second weekend in Nigerian cinemas with a N172.3 million gross, and N451.4 million in total.

The Aki and Pawpaw nostalgia project by Play Network Studios finished the weekend in third place, sweeping N29.7 million at the box office to end up with N80.4 million after two weeks of screening.

Christmas in Miami is the fourth installment in the Akpos film series, following 30 Days in Atlanta (163.4 million box office return), A Trip to Jamaica (N180.3 million), and 10 Days in Sun City (N176.7 million).

AY's Merrymen: The Real Yoruba Demons (N235.6 million) and Merry Men 2: Another Mission (N234.5 million) nets him a total of five films in the Top 15 list of highest grossing Nollywood films of all time.

Christmas in Miami has already sailed all the way up to 19th position with its opening weekend performance and should hope to reach the highs of Funke Akindele's Omo Ghetto: The Saga which became the highest grossing Nollywood film of all time this year with a total box office return of N636.1 million.

Omo Ghetto made N98.5 million in its opening weekend following a December 25, 2020 release.

Christmas in Miami stars AY, Richard Mofe-Damijo, and Osita Iheme as a family at the Intercontinental Christmas Fiesta competing against other families of diverse backgrounds on an exotic island in Miami.

Directed by Robert Peters, the film also features international stars like John Amos, Manoj Chandra, Tanya Price, Barry Piacente, Sterling Royston and more.