Nigerian ‘John Wick’ becomes major Netflix hit with tiny budget

Hollywood is much more than the star-studded and expensive movies that become record-breaking blockbusters. The Nigerian movie The Black Book has taken over Netflix’s Top 10 list with a small budget by Hollywood standards.

Movies are a global love affair. People from around the world relish in on-screen content or dream of creating their own story for the small or big screen. Editi Effiong has been standing in the spotlight after the grand success of his crime thriller movie The Black Book, which has taken Netflix by storm.

The global love for the Nigerian movie and its central characters has outlets comparing it to Keanu Reeves’s action franchise John Wick. It’s an impressive and well-deserved compliment by many. The movie centers on Nigeria’s long and dark history of military regimes to present-day police brutality.

At the heart of the story is a former gang member who seeks revenge for the death of his son. The Black Book has become Netflix’s major success with a budget that has many awestruck.

The Black Book stars and was funded by Nigerians to tell their story

Editi Effiong’s first feature movie, The Black Book, had a $1 million budget with the help of Nigerian experts and founders in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. It has held the third spot in Netflix’s top 10 English-language titles for weeks.

The crime thriller opens with the kidnapping of Professor Craig’s (Bimbo Akintola) family. Their murders are for her involvement in making the ministry’s dark secrets come to light. To cover their actions, the killers plant the murders on Damilola Edima (Olumide Oworu), son of Paul Edima (Richard Mofe-Damijo). Paul was a former gang member turned deacon. After his innocent son is killed, he seeks revenge against the person responsible: his former boss.

The Black Book was released on September 22, 2023, and has risen the ranks to one of Netflix’s top hits. Within its first week, the movie gained 5.6 million views in just 48 hours. By the second week, it was one of the top watched in 69 countries.

Effiong’s movie has garnered critical and global acclaim for its low budget funded by Nigerians, and its all-Nigerian cast. It has broadened Nollywood’s history of great movies since the 90s with Effiong telling AP, “It is a fictional narrative but this is what Nigeria was.”

“The Black Book is a film by Black people, Black actors, Black producers, Black money 100%, and it’s gone ahead to become a global blockbuster,” said the director. Netflix said in a statement that they are “devoted” to bringing more African content and stories to audiences. Effiong stating it’s time for “the world needs to take notice.”

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