Highest-Grossing Nollywood Films of 2026 So Far: The Box Office Top 10 and the October Record-Breaker

Nigerian cinema has had a remarkable year. A romantic drama became the year’s runaway hit, faith-based audiences packed cinemas for a remake of a 1990s classic, and the combined takings of the top Nollywood titles kept climbing. Below are the biggest Nollywood films of 2026 so far, with the source and date of every figure, because box office numbers in Nigeria are often quoted without either.

Top 10 Nollywood Films of the First Half of 2026

These are the most complete like-for-like figures available for the year so far, because they come from one source and cover the same period for every film. Films that were still showing after 5 July, including Iwe Ala, have earned more since.

The October Record-Breaker: Agbara Nla: The Return

The biggest Nollywood release since July is Agbara Nla: The Return, a remake of the 1993 Christian film created by Mike Bamiloye. It is directed by Damilola Mike-Bamiloye and Joshua “Jay Mikee” Mike-Bamiloye and distributed by Nile. It opened in cinemas on 1 October 2026.

• First four days: more than ₦170.6 million, according to its distributor and production partners.
• By 16 October: more than ₦307.2 million. The announcement described it as “the highest-grossing Nollywood title ever for an October release and the fourth highest-grossing Nollywood title of 2026.”

These figures come from the film’s distributor, not from the Comscore table above, so the two are not directly comparable. Still, on the distributor’s numbers, Agbara Nla passed Ajosepo’s first-half total in about two weeks. It shows how strongly faith-based audiences have turned out for this film.

What the 2026 Box Office Tells Us

1. The market has more than doubled in two years

ShockNG’s analysis found that the top 10 Nollywood films earned a combined ₦2.26 billion in the first half of 2026, more than double the comparable figure two years earlier. However you read it, Nigerian audiences are paying to see local films in large numbers.

2. One distributor dominates

FilmOne distributed seven of the top 10 films of the first half, including the top six. Nile had two and Blue Pictures one. Nile also distributes Agbara Nla: The Return.

3. Romance sells

The two biggest films of the year are love stories. Call of My Life follows Soluchi, a hopeless romantic recovering from a breakup who connects with a stranger through a work call. Love and New Notes, released in February, ran for 15 weeks.

4. Long runs matter

Love and New Notes and Onobiren each stayed in the chart for 15 weeks. A film that holds its audience for three or four months can out-earn a bigger opener.

5. Star directors behind the camera

Two of the top 10 were directed by well-known actresses: Efunroye by Faithia Williams and Mother’s Love by Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, according to P.M. News’s report on the first-half figures.

Why Box Office Figures Differ

If you have seen different numbers for the same film, there are usually three reasons:

• Different dates. A film still in cinemas grows every week, so a figure from June will be lower than one from October.
• Different sources. Comscore tracks admissions and takings from participating cinemas. The Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) publishes weekly charts. Distributors and producers announce their own totals, which may include cinemas or territories others do not count.
• Different territories. Some figures cover Nigeria only; Comscore’s figures above are for its West Africa territory.

When you compare films, compare figures from the same source and the same period, as in the table above.

Coming Next: The December Battle

December is traditionally a big month for Nollywood at the cinema, and several titles already have release dates. See our guide to the Nollywood movies coming to cinemas this Christmas, and for streaming, our list of Nigerian movies on Netflix.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of 2026?

Call of My Life, with ₦719.8 million by 5 July in Comscore data published by ShockNG. It was in its ninth week in cinemas when that period ended, so its final total is likely higher.

How much has Agbara Nla: The Return made?

More than ₦307.2 million by 16 October 2026, according to its distributor and production partners, including ₦170.6 million in its first four days.

Who distributes most Nollywood box office hits?

FilmOne distributed seven of the top 10 Nollywood films of the first half of 2026, including the top six.

How much did Nollywood make at the box office in 2026?

The top 10 Nollywood films earned about ₦2.26 billion between 1 January and 5 July 2026, according to ShockNG’s analysis of Comscore data. Full-year figures are not yet available.

Sources

1. ShockNG – “Nollywood Theatrical Market Tops ₦2.26B In H1 2026”, H1 2026 Nigerian Box Office Intelligence based on Comscore Movies data, 20 July 2026
2. Punch – “Agbara Nla grosses N307m, ranks fourth among 2026 Nollywood films”, quoting the film’s distributor and production partners, 16 October 2026
3. P.M. News – “Ten highest-grossing Nollywood movies in the first half of 2026” (directors of Efunroye and Mother’s Love), 26 August 2026
4. IMDb – Call of My Life (2026), synopsis

Last updated: 24 October 2026 · NaijaSabi Entertainment Desk. Box office totals change weekly; we will update this list as new verified figures are published.