The latest offering from EbonyLife Films, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, is a ‘blooming’ love story, purposefully crafted for universal viewing. Its first screening was for a critical audience at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), creating considerable buzz for its subsequent premiere in Lagos, Nigeria on 4th February.
Contextually, the film weaves a love theme, with a mixture of local and universal flavours, craftily packaged for a global audience. Its cinematography highlights the familiar sites and sounds of the mega-city of Lagos; setting the scene for its universal appeal.
The storyline is a familiar one of the twists and turns between two young lovers, Ope (Zainab Balogun), a ‘returnee’ trained chef from abroad, and Deji (Kenneth Okolie), a suave, successful entrepreneur. Their courtship is spiced with sub-themes revolving around various supportive and meddling characters.
EbonyLife Films’ Royal Hibiscus Hotel was Nigeria’s successful submission at the film festival. Living up to the import of being Nigeria’s ambassador at the TIFF, it paraded a list of current, notable Nigerian actors, displayed a well-executed theme of love and scaled the critical test amongst equals. It flew the Nigerian flag as a testimony of our long and notable history of theatre arts excellence, which encompasses drama, dance, artistes and playwrights – the most recognised of which is Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.
However, the food for thought, provided by The Royal Hibiscus Hotel and relevant to the current state of our performing arts, is consistency in production quality, in order to remain a competitive regional/global player. A starting point is a mindset like Mo Abudu’s, which employs filmmaking as a viable commodity of exchange in the regional and international entertainment business grid. The current wave of revival, surging through Nigerian filmmaking and the performing arts, must be encouraged and sustained through purposeful patronage of both.
Significantly, the real import of The Royal Hibiscus Hotel goes beyond its entertainment value. A reality check shows that, in spite of the mushrooming of Nigerian embassies globally, our membership in international and regional bodies, and our vast population with natural existential diversities, Nigeria is largely perceived as monolithic and is best known for duplicity.
EbonyLifeFilms is gradually, but steadily, becoming one of Nigeria’s veritable canvases, showcasing ‘who we are, what we look like, how we think and how we live’. That is the measure of what EbonyLife Films does to put a stamp on our existential identity as a PEOPLE and a NATION.
To EbonyLifeFilms: Lights on, curtains drawn, take a bow!
Ope’s mother, Rose Adeniyi (Rachel Oniga), is the recognisable, true-to-type of all fretful mothers of marriageable daughters, irrespective of race, creed or nationality. It’s a role she plays to perfection, with anticipation of her strut and puff as the ‘mother of the bride’, basking in the imagined grandeur of her daughter’s wedding day.
Her husband and co-owner of The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, Chief Segun Adeniyi (Jide Kosoko), is distracted with impending bankruptcy and its attendant consequences – mainly the loss of the hotel. Both play their roles as an ageing couple to perfection, with petty squabbles and romantic banter which leave little to the imagination.
The film’s main attribute is the crafting of all aspects of the film – from the casting of roles, e.g. the hotel receptionist, Chika (Lala Akindoju), turning a minor role into a memorable one that elicited applause every time she was on the prowl for a ‘manhandle’; to comic, romantic banter between Ope’s parents, with the gracefully ageing mother and wife being as spritely and flirtatious as a young wife.
On display too, is the Nigerian sense of grandeur, dignity and self-assurance through the hyperbolic naming of the hotel – The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. In traditional parlance, it is not a flight of fancy; it is about taking pride in one’s achievement, no matter how insignificant it may seem to onlookers.
The Royal Hibiscus Hotel is deftly handled by director Ishaya Bako and succeeds on almost every level; where each character, scene, costume and bit of humour merge to make the film enjoyable and memorable. It also wears a badge of global excellence, by being one of the three recognised movies from Africa at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The other two were from South Africa and Senegal, with major support from Europe.
Hollywood legend Denzel Washington has announced his intention to star in the highly anticipated third instalment of Marvel’s “Black Panther” franchise before retiring from acting.
The acclaimed actor, who currently portrays a pivotal role in Ridley Scott’s upcoming film “Gladiator 2,” made this revelation during a recent interview on Australia’s “Today Show.”
“I am only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many,” he said.
As he was sharing the roles he has lined up before a possible retirement, Denzel Washington made a statement saying,
“I’m playing Othello at 22, now I am playing Othello at 70. After that, I am playing Hannibal. After that, I have been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. Ryan Coogle is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther. Then I’ll do Othello and after that, I am going to do King Lear. After that, I am going to retire,” he added.
In 2018, Marvel Studios released the critically acclaimed superhero film ‘Black Panther’, which featured the late Chadwick Boseman in the titular role.
The movie boasted an ensemble cast that included Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, and Winston Duke.
Following Boseman’s tragic passing, Marvel produced a sequel, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘, which premiered in 2022.
This highly anticipated follow-up continued the story of the technologically advanced nation of Wakanda and its heroic protectors.
The immense popularity and cultural impact of the ‘Black Panther’ franchise have solidified its place as a landmark achievement in superhero cinema.
First and foremost, Wumi Toriola’s film ‘Queen Lateefah‘ has achieved remarkable success, surpassing ₦300 million at the box office and securing its position among Nollywood’s top-performing films.
Subsequently, the film joins other blockbuster successes such as ‘Ajosepo’ (₦257.2 million) and ‘Ajakaju’ (₦252.8 million). Moreover, ‘Queen Lateefah’ now stands as the seventh highest-grossing Nollywood movie to date.
Additionally, it holds the distinction of achieving the highest earnings for a non-December release, a period typically known for peak box office performance.
Throughout its theatrical run, the film has consistently broken records. Initially, it garnered ₦57 million in its opening weekend.
Furthermore, within just three weeks of its premiere, the film exceeded the ₦200 million milestone. By mid-October, consequently, the box office receipts had accumulated to ₦216 million.
Under the distribution of Cinemax and the direction of Adeoluwa Owu, the film presents a compelling narrative. Specifically, it follows Lateefah Adeleke, a 30-year-old businesswoman who portrays herself as a world traveller with high social status.
However, her encounter with Jide Rhodes, a 35-year-old businessman, eventually exposes her carefully constructed facade.
In contrast to her claims, Lateefah emerges from a background of extreme poverty as the only child of an illiterate mother.
Finally, the film features a stellar ensemble cast including Kunle Remi, Femi Adebayo, Nancy Isime, Bimbo Manuel, Elvina Ibru, Enioluwa, and Gbugbemi Ejeye.
As a result of these combined elements – compelling storyline, strong performances, and strategic release timing – ‘Queen Lateefah’ continues to demonstrate the growing commercial potential of Nollywood productions.
Osunde did not take her comment lightly. She retorted, saying, “We’re tired of seeing your face too in your office. Damn! I hope they sack you.”
Enioluwa then took to X to address the notion of Nollywood using familiar faces in films. He stressed that it happens because of finances.
He wrote,
“People often say they’re tired of seeing the same faces in Nigerian films. However, unlike in Hollywood, actors in Nigeria can’t afford to do just one film a year—how much are they paying? The industry currently can’t support as many newcomers as people might expect because, realistically, many of them wouldn’t be able to meet even their basic needs. No one wants to be famous and financially unstable.”
In response, another X user asked him for practical solutions, urging him to suggest actionable steps rather than just highlighting the problems. “You made a crucial point there but you didn’t suggest any solution,” he commented.
Enioluwa then explained,
We don’t have the buying power yet; it’s growing because streaming platforms have come in and people have made more records in the box office. Nevertheless, you can’t equate it to Hollywood, an Avengers that made over $2 billion that can pay its actors millions of dollars and still have enough profit.
People often say they’re tired of seeing the same faces in Nigerian films.
However, unlike in Hollywood, actors in Nigeria can’t afford to do just one film a year— how much are they paying.
The industry currently can’t support as many newcomers as people might expect because,…
