Anikulapo, a Netflix original movie produced and directed by veteran actor Kunle Afolayan, is currently the most viewed non-English Netflix original movie, topping the Netflix weekly global chart.
Anikulapo had been viewed for 8,730,000 hours between October 3 and October 9, 2022, according to Netflix’s weekly top 10 list of the most watched movies. Kunle Afolayan Production confirmed the news on Wednesday.
The film, set in the pre-colonial era of the 17th century old Oyo Empire, tells the story of a sojourner who arrives in Oyo in search of greener pastures, where he initially finds favor, but later finds love in a forbidden place.
Kunle Remi, who played the main character Saro, was joined by Bimbo Ademoye, who played Queen Arolake, Sola Sobowale, Mr. Macaroni, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Taiwo Hassan, and Oga Bello, among others, in the film.
The producers stated that the film’s acceptance demonstrated that it resonated with people from various cultures all over the world.
“While this is being celebrated by Nigerians at home and abroad, the acceptance of it from people all over the world with different cultural backgrounds and beliefs proves beyond words that Anikulapo tells a universal story to which every human on the planet can relate,” the statement said.
“It is also worth noting that the film does an excellent job of incorporating both male and female character traits, highlighting the fine line between lust and love, hate and resentment, illusion, and so on.”
Afolayan thanked moviegoers on his Instagram page for their referrals and reviews.
“Congratulations to all of us, and thanks to you guys out there for the reviews and referrals,” he said.
This comes only a few days after the Nigeria Oscars selection committee disqualified Anikulapo from the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars.
