In 2023, Oppenheimer, an epic biographical thriller, became the highest-grossing biopic of all time with a global box office revenue totalling $912.6 million, according to Statista.
It was followed by ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘American Sniper,’ which were produced in 2018 and 2014 respectively.
The former grossed $910 million while the latter earned $547.4 million.
Filmmakers grossed nearly $6 billion from 12 biopics at the international box office between 2006 and 2023, reflecting the opportunities in the burgeoning market.
A biopic refers to a film that dramatises the life of a real person.
According to the New York Film Academy, biopics capture significant achievements, challenges, and personal aspects of political leaders, musicians, artists, athletes, and scientists.
“Biopics can be informative and entertaining, shedding light on the complexities of real-life personalities,” it said.
Biopics produce a lot of revenues for filmmakers, but they are also expensive to embark upon.
Antoine Fuqua, an American film director known for his work in the action and thriller genre, is releasing a biopic on the King Of Pop, which is likely to address the child abuse allegations against him.
Based on www.imdb’s report, the project will cost about $150m.
An authorised biopic on the late American superstar singer, Witney Houston’s life, was announced in early 2020. It was produced on a $45 million budget. Its filming took place in Massachusetts and New Jersey from August to December 2021. The royalties go to their family who are expected to be comfortable during their lifetime.
Opportunities for Nigerian film makers
There have been a few biopics about some notable Nigerians who impacted society – either for good or bad. Examples include: Finding Fela; Amina; Amaka’s Kin: The Women of Nollywood; 93 Days; Badamasi: Portrait of a General; Anini; and Sango: The Legendary African King (1997). However, some movie enthusiasts believe there is more to be done in the industry to educate the younger generation about the history of those who put the name of Nigeria on the world map.
Currently, Africa’s most populous nation is missing on the global map of countries leveraging biopics due to the less attention being paid on the segment of the movie market.
“Biopics are about people’s lives. So, a lot of people are interested in knowing more about the legends or their heroes, which is the number one selling point for biopics,” said Amanda Isikoro, a United States-based movie enthusiast.
“Nigeria is scratching the surface but can focus more resources on biopics. Invest more in the segment of the market and, more importantly, tell stories of people with popular appeal. Also, make it real. Some of our movies in Nollywood look a bit unreal,” she said.
While speaking on the telephone with Tunde Kelani, a veteran filmmaker and the brain behind the movie, Ayinla noted that he also seized the opportunity to showcase the rich heritage of the city of Abeokuta.
Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, a multiple-award Nigerian film director and movie producer popularly known as ‘De’ Guvnor’, who has also made some biopics, stated there is a big opportunity waiting to be tapped.
He said, “We can see it is clear that we are progressing because I made a film for a Nollywood actress, Ruth Kadiri. She runs ‘Ruth Kadiri 247’ on YouTube and I was surprised that in less than two days, she made a million views.
“I was so dazed because in about three hours she made about 90,000 views based on the project.”
Poor knowledge of history
Absence of biopics has some consequences, according to experts.
Chukwuemeka Ufoh, a film enthusiast, said: “I was taking my son to school recently and as usual I was playing my favourite songs by Oliver De Coque and Onyeka Onwenu. All of a sudden, he asked why I was always playing their songs. I tried my best to educate him about those legends, but I felt I confused him the most.
“If there were biopics about these superstars, they would have made the explanation to my son more understandable. You know kids nowadays prefer watching documentaries or biopics to reading.”
Why Nigerian film makers shy away
According to Kelani, earlier quoted, there is a reason several film makers are not interested in biopics.
“I believe that doing biopics is good and can be quite lucrative, but some producers shy away from such products because the audience might not be interested in the personality involved in the movie. So, in order not to waste money and effort, they do other kinds of films.”
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Nigeria’s entertainment industry big potential
Nollywood produces more than 2,000 movies each year and has an estimated annual revenue of $1.2 billion, according to Fun Time Magazine.
Nollywood movies account for 39 percent (N2.8 billion) of the total box office revenue of N7.4 billion in 2024, marking a notable increase from the previous year. Leading the charge was ‘A Tribe Called Judah,’ which has now grossed over N1 billion.
According to Imasuen, earlier quoted, the Nollowood has a far bigger potential than is discussed.
“It is unbelievable when you think of the places Nollywood has spread to. Put that vis-a-vis the market value, you can understand that our movie industry is not a joke anymore. Those who have been able to meet the market potential now smile at the bank every month. That is one aspect.
“We have also seen numbers based on the report of Funke Akindele, whose movie grossed about N1bn at the box office and other people are doing well from Nollywood. I have just remade my blockbuster movie, Issakaba Returns, which remains one of Nigeria’s most popular movies. I just remade the movie and I put in over N300m for the budget.
“For the market size of the Nigerian film industry, I think it is quite huge now. For instance, I just watched ‘The House of Ga’ah’ from the production itself. You would realise that money was spent on the project. It does not mean that people are not losing money, but it tells us that the future is looking bright, especially when you take cognisance of where we are coming from.”
