The Nigerian action thriller ‘3 Cold Dishes’ has achieved a strong opening weekend, grossing N24.6 million in its theatrical release.
Oluseyi Asurf Amuwa, director of ‘3 Cold Dishes,’ announced the film’s success on Instagram, extending his gratitude to Nigerian audiences and cinephiles who supported the movie, which explores themes of sex trafficking, grief, and vengeance.
“Nigeria, you showed up for 3 Cold Dishes and the response has been everything we hoped for. From Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt to Benin, this film is filling cinemas and hearts across the country,” he wrote.
In an interview with an international magazine, Oluseyi expressed his aspirations for African cinema, stating that his vision is to elevate it to a global level, akin to the international success and acceptance of Afrobeats.
“My aspiration is for ‘African cinema’ to not just be a term for collective African films, but to actually become a global genre just like we have Afrobeat. As Africans we have shared stories; we have shared realities,” the director adds. “I hope we can get to a point where we have a film that is not just seen as a Nigerian film, or as a North African or South African film, but as an African film. That’s been my dream. I know it’s very tough, but someone needs to start.”
Set against the backdrop of Nigeria, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire, ‘3 Cold Dishes’ is a tale of revenge and empowerment, following three African teenagers (Esosa, Fatouma, and Giselle) as they seek justice against their exploiters. The film boasts an impressive collaboration with Nigerian music sensation (Burnaboy), who executive produced the movie and scored two soundtracks. The cast of “3 Cold Dishes” includes Osas Ighodaro, Wale Ojo, Femi Jacobs, Gregory Ojefua, Fat Toure, Maud Guerard, Bambadjan Bamba, Mentor Ba, Aldot Bossou, Ruby Akubueze, Amelie Mbaye, Brutus Richard, Tomiwa ‘Sage’ Kukoyi, Sourou Gouvoeke, Ahoue Prescilla, and Taiwo Adeyemi.
‘3 Cold Dishes’ will have a theatrical rollout across approximately 26 African countries, with additional theatrical releases planned for France, the U.S., and Canada.