Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Studios accounted for more than 60 percent of the box office in Anglo West Africa in 2025 through their local distribution ties. Warner Bros. took 33.8 percent market share.
Disney followed with 32.52 percent. Taken together, both studios held 66.32 percent. Their main partner, FilmOne, handled both slates and recorded N11.41 billion in total revenue – 73 percent of the entire market.
This result shows what local distribution partnerships can deliver with FilmOne controlling the flow of major Hollywood titles to cinemas across the region. It gave Warner Bros. and Disney direct access to screens without setting up their own operations physically in Nigeria.
Globally, Disney Studios dominated the global box office in 2025, finishing the year as the highest-grossing major Hollywood studio with an estimated $6.58 billion in worldwide ticket sales. This marked Disney’s strongest performance since 2019 and represented its ninth top ranking in the past ten years.
Disney led its closest competitor, Warner Bros., by a substantial margin of $2.18 billion ($6.58 billion vs. $4.4 billion). Warner Bros. held second place with $4.4 billion (including a reported 13 percent share of the overall global market), while Universal Pictures ranked third with $3.89 billion.
Read also: Warner Bros. deal would improve offers for members–Greg Peters, Co-CEO Netflix
The global box office totalled around $33.5 billion for the year, according to estimates from sources like Gower Street Analytics, boosted by strong international performance and notable hits in markets like China.
Disney’s dominance came from a lineup of 15-16 wide releases anchored by major franchises and sequels that drove repeat viewings and strong global earnings (about $4.08 billion outside the U.S.).
Key movies that propelled the studio to the top included Zootopia 2, Lilo & Stitch (live-action remake), Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Marvel Cinematic Universe entries such as Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four: First Steps, combined for over $1.3 billion globally, adding consistent blockbuster power.
Warner Bros’s top 5 highest-grossing films of the year, based on industry trackers, include A Minecraft Movie; F1: The Movie; the Apple Original Films production starring Brad Pitt, Superman from the DC Universe reboot and horror franchises such as The Conjuring: Last Rites, Sinners, and Final Destination: Bloodlines, and Weapons.
Disney’s successes relied on established IP across animation, live-action remakes, sci-fi epics, and superhero films. Warner Bros., its counterpart, leaned heavily toward action, adventure, superhero, and horror genres in 2025.
Locally, FilmOne strengthened its position by tapping into these genres, which command huge demand in the Nigerian market. This has led FilmOne to partner with Disney, Warner Bros., Sony Studios, and Empire.
Other local companies have also had similar deals. Silverbird previously partnered with Paramount and Universal, which ended in December 2025. In February 2026, United International Pictures (UIP), the joint venture of Paramount and Universal, named Nile Entertainment as its exclusive distributor for Anglophone West Africa. The move covers Nigeria and Ghana and starts with titles such as Scary Movie 6 and Street Fighter.
Moses Babatope, Group CEO of The Nile Group, said the appointment is a serious responsibility. “UIP represents two of the most recognised studios in global cinema, and being entrusted with their titles in West Africa is a responsibility we take seriously,” he stated. “Our commitment is to serve audiences, support our exhibitor partners, and help grow the region’s theatrical market sustainably and collaboratively.”
Funmi Onuma, General Manager, West Africa, Silverbird Cinemas, offered more context to UIP’s partnership with Nile. According to her, big movie studios are known to rotate distribution among different local movie companies after a few years of operating with one company. Despite the move, Onuma says Silverbird will continue to show Hollywood titles distributed by UIP through Nile.
Onuma said that Silverbird will turn its focus to Independent international distributors, saying that they also have their benefits. She said these companies allow the local companies that buy exclusive rights to the film to keep 100 percent of the revenue from box office revenues.
Nollywood and Hollywood split revenue almost evenly at 50/50 – a change from previous years when local films dominated yearly earnings. Hollywood released 53 percent more titles than Nollywood out of the 248 movies that reached cinemas.
Read also: Netflix withdraws Warner Bros bid, clearing Paramount’s path
These genres drove ticket sales because audiences returned for familiar characters and high production values. Hollywood now supplies consistent draws that fill seats and support the 122 cinemas operating in the region.
The shift also affects competition. Smaller Hollywood studios such as Paramount (8.72 percent share, N582 million) and Universal (9.86 percent share, N658.4 million) saw their portions decline or stay flat in 2025 before the new Nile deal.
Nigerian distributors that secure Hollywood slates gain scale and stability. International studios gain access to a fast-growing market with rising admissions – 2.79 million in 2025.
The Warner Bros. and Disney performance, combined with FilmOne’s reach and the fresh Nile partnership, signals that Hollywood-Nigerian distribution ties have become the main engine of box-office growth. The model delivers revenue today and sets the structure for how films will reach audiences in the years ahead.
