Nigeria’s cinema industry generated nearly N8.8 billion in box-office revenue in the first half of 2026, putting the market ahead of every full-year total recorded between 2019 and 2023 and strengthening Nollywood’s lead over Hollywood in the domestic market.
The six-month haul compares with N7.36 billion generated in full-year 2023, N11.58 billion in 2024 and N15.64 billion in 2025, according to data compiled from the Nigerian box office and the FilmOne Entertainment Nigeria Box Office Yearbook.
Local films have also dominated the year’s top performers. Seven Nollywood titles crossed the N100 million mark in the first six months of 2026, compared with three Hollywood releases, according to box-office data reported by industry sources.
The shift builds on Nollywood’s near-even contest with Hollywood in 2025. FilmOne’s 2025 yearbook put Nollywood’s domestic market share at 49.4%, compared with 48.8% for Hollywood, meaning Nigerian productions had already narrowly moved ahead before the latest gains.
Among the strongest local performers was Call of My Life, a romantic comedy directed by Dammy Twitch. The film had earned N686.8 million by the end of June, making it the highest-grossing Nollywood title in the first half, compared with N790.9 million for Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic and leading Hollywood release at the time.
Call of My Life subsequently continued its theatrical run, reaching N855 million by August 2026, according to FilmOne updates.
Other major Nigerian performers included Love & New Notes, which generated more than N385 million, The Return of Arinzo with about N350 million, Ajosepo, Efunroye: The Unicorn and Onobiren.
The market’s revenue growth is also being supported by higher ticket prices rather than a comparable surge in admissions. Cinema admissions are projected to rise from 2.6 million in 2023 to 2.95 million in 2026, while industry revenue is forecast to grow much faster.
The West Africa Box Office Yearbook projects Nigeria’s cinema market could exceed N20 billion in 2026, although that remains a forecast. The industry’s ability to reach the target will depend heavily on the second-half release slate and the traditionally stronger December period.
The numbers point to a structural change in Nigeria’s cinema business: local productions are increasingly capable of generating blockbuster-level revenue outside the traditional December window, giving distributors greater scope to spread major releases across the calendar.
