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For the first time in Nigerian cinema history, two horror movies have claimed the top spots at the box office. ‘Sinners’ and ‘Final Destination’ led the charts for the weekend of May 16-18, 2025, marking a milestone for the genre in Nigeria.
‘Sinners,’ in its fifth week, earned N48.4 million, bringing its total to N649.4 million. The film has maintained a strong performance since its release, having scored the second-highest opening weekend in Nigerian cinemas this year. ‘Final Destination,’ a new release, earned N43 million in its opening weekend, surpassing the N26.9 million opening of ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ from last year. Its cumulative total reached N47.5 million by the end of the weekend.
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The box office results for May 16-18, 2025, according to the Nigerian Box Office page X, also included other films in the top six.
‘Ori: The Rebirth’ earned N40.6 million in its third week, with a total of N262.7 million. ‘Thunderbolts’ earned N24.1 million in its third week, totalling N184.2 million. New release ‘Raji and the Beast’ earned N6.5 million, while ‘Owambe Thieves’ earned N6 million in its fifth week, bringing its total to N193.4 million. Further down the list, ‘Labake Olododo’ earned N1.4 million in its eighth week, totalling N262.7 million, followed by ‘Radio Voice’ with N268,000 and a total of N67.5 million in its sixth week, and ‘Family Brouhaha’ with N110,000 and a total of N38.7 million in its sixth week.
This milestone builds on recent trends in the Nigerian box office. In April 2025, the box office haul exceeded N1 billion, driven by the likes of ‘Sinners’ and ‘Owambe Thieves.’ The success of these films contributed to a record-breaking month, showing the potential of diverse genres to draw crowds. Now, with two horror movies leading simultaneously, the genre’s rising commercial strength is clear.
The rise of horror films in Nigeria reflects changing audience interests. Historically less dominant, the genre has gained traction, as seen in the performance of ‘Sinners’ and ‘Final Destination’. Industry observers suggest this could encourage filmmakers to explore horror further, expanding the range of stories told in Nigerian cinema.
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Last year, ‘The Weekend,’ a Nollywood horror film by Daniel Oriahi, got praised both locally and internationally, screening at the Tribeca Festival in June 2024 and winning multiple awards at AMAA 2024.
