Kunle Afolayan’s newly released Anikulapo has been ranked the most viewed non-English Netflix original film on the movie streaming site globally.
Anikulapo had been viewed for 8,730,000 hours between October 3 and October 9, 2022, according to Netflix’s weekly top ten list of the most watched movies. Kunle Afolayan Production confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The film, set in the pre-colonial era of the 17th century-old Oyo Empire, tells the story of a sojourner who travels to Oyo in search of greener pastures, where he initially finds favour, 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.
According to the statement, “While this is being celebrated by Nigerians at home and abroad, the acceptability of it from people around the world with different cultural backgrounds and beliefs proves beyond words that Anikulapo tells a universal story that every human across the world can relate to.
“It is also noteworthy to state that the movie in a great way creates an inclusiveness of both male and female character traits, bringing to light the fine thin line between lust and love, hate and resentment, illusion etc.”
Afolayan thanked his movie fans on his Instagram page for their referrals and reviews.
Meanwhile, this comes only a few days after the Nigeria Oscars selection committee disqualified Anikulapo from the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars.