Nigeria’s cinema industry recorded its strongest performance ever in 2025, with a total box office gross of N15.6 billion (approximately $10.4 million), a 34.72 percent increase from last year’s revenue N11.58 billion according to the latest West Africa 2025 Box Office Scorecard released by FilmOne Entertainment and compiled from Comscore data.
The figure covers Anglophone West Africa, including contributions from Ghana and Liberia, and reflects ticket sales through December 31, 2025.
For the first time in the region’s recorded history, Nollywood captured the largest market share, securing 49.4 percent of the total gross compared to Hollywood’s 48.8 percent. In 2024 Hollywood had 52 percent share with Nollywood having 46 percent. Films from Ghana and Liberia accounted for 7.2 percent of the regional market.
A total of 2.79 million admissions were recorded across 122 cinemas operating in the region. The average ticket price stood at N5,596, reflecting continued growth in ticket pricing amid rising production and exhibition costs.
The year featured 248 new releases, including 81 Nollywood titles, 92 Hollywood films, and 52 Indian productions. Sixteen titles crossed the N200 million mark, while 14 Nollywood films individually grossed more than N100 million.
FilmOne Entertainment emerged as the highest-grossing distributor for the year while Silverbird Cinema Ikeja was named the highest-grossing single cinema location for 2025.
Among Nollywood releases, Behind the Scenes led as the highest-grossing local title woth N1.32 billion. Other strong performers included Gingerrr (N522.9M), Ori: The Rebirth (N419.1M), Everybody Loves Jenifa (N758.5M), and Oversabi Aunty(N480.1M). Hollywood’s top earner was Sinners(N775.8M), followed by Superman(N493M), Fantastic 4(N488.8M), Mission: Impossible 8 – The Final Reckoning(N372.6M), and Captain America: Brave New World(N419.1M).
In animation, Zootopia 2 topped the category, while the anime segment was led by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie – Infinity Castle.
The milestone underscores Nollywood’s growing commercial strength and audience preference for local stories, even as major international blockbusters continue to draw significant crowds. The near-parity between Nollywood and Hollywood market shares signals a structural shift in the region’s cinema landscape, with local content now commanding the largest portion of ticket sales.
The N15.6 billion total revenue aligned with FilmOne’s predictions in November while box office numbers reached N13 billion with increased cinema infrastructure, higher admission numbers, and stronger local production output contributing to the record result.
