Synopsis
Olanna and Kainene are glamorous twins from a wealthy Nigerian family. Upon returning to a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria after their expensive English education, the two women make very different choices. Olanna shocks her family by going to live with her lover, the “revolutionary professor” Odenigbo and his devoted houseboy Ugwu in the dusty university town of Nsukka; Kainene turns out to be a fiercely successful businesswoman when she takes over the family interests, and surprises even herself when she falls in love with Richard, an English writer. Preoccupied by their romantic entanglements, and a betrayal between the sisters, the events of their life seem to loom larger than politics. However, they become caught up in the events of the Nigerian civil war, in which the lgbo people fought an impassioned struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic, ending in chilling violence which shocked the entire world.
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $4,843 (8.9% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 5.64 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 59.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 1 opening theaters/7 max. theaters, 4.6 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $71,903 |
Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists
| Record | Rank | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 13,901-14,000) | 13,954 | $54,529 |
| All Time International Box Office (Rank 21,501-21,600) | 21,523 | $37,870 |
| All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 25,101-25,200) | 25,145 | $92,399 |
| All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 5,501-5,600) | 5,585 | $54,529 |
| All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 4,801-4,900) | 4,826 | $54,529 |
| All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 3,501-3,600) | 3,534 | $37,870 |
| All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 5,301-5,400) | 5,347 | $92,399 |
See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.
Watch Now On
| iTunes: | iTunes |
| Vudu: | Vudu |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | May 16th, 2014 (Limited) by Monterey Media |
| International Releases: | April 26th, 2014 (Limited), released as Half Of A Yellow Sun (New Zealand) |
| Video Release: | July 29th, 2014 by Monterey Video |
| MPAA Rating: | R for some violence and sexual content. (Rating bulletin 2317, 4/9/2014) |
| Running Time: | 113 minutes |
| Comparisons: | vs. Hotel Rwanda Create your own comparison chart… |
| Keywords: | Romance, Civil War, Political, Twins, Interracial Romance, Romantic Drama |
| Source: | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Historical Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Slate Films, Ealing Metro International, Lipsync Productions, Kachifo |
| Production Countries: | Nigeria |
| Languages: | English |