Few days after its release, the blockbuster ‘Jagun Jagun’ has drawn thousands of reactions and views among local and international viewers. The Femi Adebayo’s movie has gotten global recognition as foreigners enjoyed the eclectic portrayal of Nigerian ancient war System.
‘Jagun Jagun’ (The Warrior) is a 2023 Netflix original epic Yoruba film produced by Femi Adebayo Salami and Euphoria360 Media. It was directed by Adebayo Tijani and Tope Adebayo Salami. The film stars Femi Adebayo, Adedimeji Lateef, Bimbo Ademoye, Faithia Balogun, Mr Macaroni, Bukunmi Oluwasina, Ibrahim Yekini and Muyiwa Ademola. It was released on Netflix streaming platform on 10th August 2023.
The movie tells the story of a Warlord, Ogundiji who begins to feel threatened by the potential of a young warrior, Gbotija whose main aim is to avenge the death of his father. Ogundiji has always been a dictator who has succeeded in snatching several kingdoms for wrong leaders; he soon becomes threatened by the arrival of the young warrior, Gbotija
‘Jagun Jagun’ was filmed over a month’s duration in southwestern Nigeria. Actress Bukunmi Oluwasina disclosed that she was selected by Femi Adebayo Salami for her role in the film, a year before production started. She also praised the production of the movie, describing the project as a “monumental undertaking.”
Femi Adebayo, who also produced ‘King of Thieves’, said that the dream of ‘Jagun Jagun’ was to surpass the success and achievements recorded by ‘King of Thieves’. He revealed in an interview that he sold some of his properties in order to finance the movie and meet up with the budget. ‘Jagun Jagun’ was released on Netflix to critical acclaim. Within 48 hours of release, it began trending in the United Kingdom and 17 other countries. It earned 2,100,000 views in its first three days and 3,700,000 views by 20 August, 2023, making it one of the top 10 most-watched non-English films globally during the period it was released.
The Nigerian movie ranked fifth spot in non-English global charts, beating other films released during the same period like ‘Marry my dead body’ from Korea, ‘Adipurush’ from India and ‘The Raid Redemption’ from Indonesia. The record of its performance, released recently, shows that the film has 2.1 million hours of viewing time on the streaming platform.
‘Jagun Jagun’ tops the chart in other countries including; Bahamas, Cyprus, Egypt, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Kenya, Martinique, Mauritius, Oman, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Nigeria.