The Nigerian ‘John Wick’ cost just $1 million to make but has spent weeks in Netflix’s top 10 as country’s film industry soar

On the global Netflix charts, an action thriller from Nigeria that grippingly depicts police violence and corruption in the most populous country in Africa has attracted record numbers of viewers. 

It serves as a reminder of the strength and promise of Nigeria's quickly expanding film industry.

"The Black Book" has been a huge hit on streaming services, ranking among the top 10 English-language titles on the platform for three weeks straight, with a peak of No. 3 in the second week.

Within 48 hours of its September 22 debut, it had 5.6 million views, and by the following week, Netflix reported that it was ranked in the top 10 titles across 69 countries.

Producer Editi Effiong told The Associated Press, "Films are made for audiences, and the bigger the audience for a film, the better the chances of your message going out."

 "The truth is that we are Nigerian filmmakers with Nigerian funding who made a film that was screened worldwide."

Since the 1990s, Nollywood, or Nigerian film industry, has become a global sensation. It gained notoriety with movies like "Living in Bondage," 

a thriller starring Kunle Afolayan that was released in 2022 and peaked at No. 1 on Netflix's global list. In terms of production value, it is the second-biggest film business globally, trailing only India, with an average of 2,000 releases per year.

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