The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has crossed N800 million at the Nigerian box office, becoming one of the country's highest-grossing films ever—and it did so without being screened by Filmhouse Group, one of West Africa's largest cinema chains. Audiences are not just showing up for spectacle; they are voting with their wallets for mythology, memory, and the comfort of familiar icons.

The Players

• Mike Bamiloye: More than three decades after producing the...