Nollywood Wins the Weekend Box Office

Nollywood owned the weekend again, and the numbers are not even close.

Funke Akindele’s “Behind The Scenes” (BTS) stayed at the top for a sixth straight weekend, pulling in ₦113.1 million between January 16–18 and pushing its total cinema revenue to a record ₦2.29 billion. 

In the same window, it kept outperforming major foreign titles still in cinemas, including “Avatar 3: Fire and Ash,” “28 Years Later,” and “Anacoda.”

This is not just one film doing well. It is a clear signal that Nigerian audiences are choosing local stories in large numbers and paying for them.

BTS is not slowing down

Released on December 12, 2025, Behind The Scenes is a drama co-directed by Funke Akindele and Tunde Olaoye, built around a theme many Nigerians know too well: “black tax”, the expectation that a financially successful person must carry extended family obligations.

That storyline has connected strongly with viewers. BTS has now recorded 385,689 total admissions, a rare level of cinema turnout in today’s economy. 

It also set speed records that changed the conversation around what’s possible for West African films: it crossed ₦1 billion in under two weeks, then went on to break the ₦2 billion mark—the first time any Nollywood or West African title has done that.

And it is not only Nigeria. The film has also earned over $301,505 in North America and £134,879 in the UK and Ireland, making it the top Nollywood earner in those markets based on the figures provided.

Toyin Abraham is closing in on ₦1 billion

Right behind BTS is Toyin Abraham’s “Oversabi Aunty”, which held second place with ₦53.3 million over the same weekend. Its five-week total is now ₦951.1 million, with 164,563 admissions.

If it crosses ₦1 billion in the coming weeks as current momentum suggests Abraham would become the second Nollywood producer after Akindele to deliver a billion-naira blockbuster at this level.

Oversabi Aunty is already described as the fourth-highest-grossing Nigerian film ever, and it has surpassed earlier big performers such as “Omo Ghetto: The Saga” (₦636 million). The bigger point is what it represents: female-led productions are not “niche” anymore, they are the engine of the market.

Hollywood is still present, but it is no longer dictating the chart

In third place, “Avatar 3: Fire and Ash” earned ₦24.9 million in its fifth week, taking its cumulative total to ₦590.7 million with 82,109 admissions. Those are strong numbers on paper, but in the current Nigerian box office reality, they sit far behind Nollywood’s top two.

A fresh foreign release also struggled to cut through the noise. “28 Years Later” debuted at fourth with ₦9.5 million and 1,467 admissions, a modest opening in a market currently leaning toward familiar faces, relatable humor, and stories that feel close to home.

The rest of the Top 10 shows the pattern clearly

After the top four, the chart becomes a mix of steady Nollywood holdovers and international titles fighting for attention:

“Colours of Fire” (Nollywood, week 4) added ₦6.9 million, bringing it to ₦134 million total with 21,983 admissions.
“Anacoda” (week 4) posted ₦6.3 million, reaching ₦79.8 million total and 12,058 admissions.
“Greenland 2: Migration” (week 2) made ₦6.2 million, totaling ₦21.6 million with 3,285 admissions.
“Zootopia 2” (week 8) added ₦4.4 million, rising to ₦200.3 million total and 33,966 admissions.
“A Very Dirty Christmas” (week 5) earned ₦3.8 million, reaching ₦134.4 million total and 22,660 admissions.
“Warlord” (week 8) brought in ₦1.6 million, totaling ₦156.8 million with 31,447 admissions.

Across the weekend, total box office revenue was about ₦229.8 million, and local films took six of the Top 10 slots.

Why Nollywood is winning right now

The simplest explanation is value. With inflation squeezing household spending, cinema-goers are becoming more selective. When people decide to spend money on tickets, transport, and snacks, they want a film that feels worth it, something they can laugh at, argue about, quote on social media, and recommend to friends.

That is why comedies and comedy-dramas are dominating: they deliver relief, familiarity, and replay value. Nollywood is also getting sharper at event-style releases, films that feel like a cultural moment, not just another title on a poster.

What happens next

If BTS continues at anything close to this pace, it will extend its own record and set an even higher benchmark for what distributors, cinemas, and filmmakers will expect going forward. Meanwhile, Oversabi Aunty is sitting just a few strong weekends away from joining the billion-naira club.