The Nigerian box office generated nearly N12 billion (N11.85 billion) in the first nine months of 2025, outperforming the full-year total of N11.58 billion recorded in 2024.
The figure marks a 69 per cent year-on-year increase when compared to N7.02 billion generated between January and September 2024, indicating stronger audience turnout and higher per-film revenues amid fewer movie releases.
Data compiled by BusinessDay from cinema reports shows that about 106 titles contributed to the 2025 total, compared with 204 titles that made up the 2024 total. This indicates higher average earnings per film this year, with major releases pulling in larger audiences. This underscores the significance of blockbuster hits and improved ticket pricing, experts said.
The year started strong with N1.7 billion, a 40.94 per cent increase from N1.21 billion in the corresponding period of 2024. February followed with N956 million, up 117.89 per cent from N439 million the previous year.
March earnings of N790 million represented a 30.82 per cent gain over N604 million in 2024. April saw N1.3 billion, representing a 63.41 per cent increase from N796 million. May delivered the highest monthly figure at N1.6 billion, indicating a 129.82 per cent increase over N696 million in May 2024.
June brought in N1.3 billion, marking a 43.21 per cent higher than N908 million last year. July’s N1.2 billion was 36.65 per cent higher than N878 million in 2024, while August recorded N1.1 billion, up 26.50 per cent from N870 million. September closed the period with N901 million, a 43.46 per cent increase from N628 million.
For context, 2024’s final quarter reported N796 million in October, N955 million in November, and N2.81 billion in December, pushing the annual figure to N11,58 billion. With three months left in 2025, the box office is on track to exceed N15 billion for the year if the current trend persists.
Cinema operators told BusinessDay that prices are expected to increase during the final month of the year, continuing a seasonal pattern that often lifts annual revenues.
Top-grossing films fuelled the surge. International releases dominate the leaderboard. ‘Sinners’ led with N776 million after 13 weeks. ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ followed at N606 million in 10 weeks, while ‘Fantastic Four’ earned N452 million in seven weeks.
Also, ‘Superman’ grossed N449 million in six weeks, while ‘Captain America’ added N393 million over six weeks, with ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ contributing N358 million in the same timeframe. ‘F1 The Movie’ reached N331 million.
Nollywood productions also delivered impressive numbers.
‘Ori: The Rebirth’ grossed N413 million in nine weeks; ‘Reel Love’ made N341 million in seven weeks, while ‘Iyalode’ hit N303 million in six weeks. Other local hits included: ‘Labake Olododo’ at N247 million and ‘Owambe Thieves’ at N193 million in five weeks.
Spillover films from late 2024 continued to draw crowds into 2025. ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ accumulated N1.88 billion over 11 weeks ending in February, starting from December 2024. ‘Alakada’ earned N476 million in seven weeks, while ‘The Waiter’ added N351 million in seven weeks. These holdovers provided early momentum, bridging the transition between years.
In 2024, the broader slate of 204 films diluted revenues, with monthly averages around N965 million. This year, 106 films averaged N112 million each, more than double the 2024 per-film average of N57 million. Blockbusters such as ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’, ‘Sinners’, and ‘Mufasa’ extended their run for over 10 weeks.
Monthly comparisons highlight trends. February’s 117.89 per cent jump ties to strong spillover effects from ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’, which peaked early in the year.
The overall 54.43 per cent increase this year shows better distribution. It is also an indication that more people are returning to cinemas after the pandemic. Cinema chains report rising occupancy rates, with premium formats such as IMAX boosting ticket prices. Nollywood’s share remains significant, at around 20 per cent of top earners, up from 15 per cent in 2024, driven by titles such as ‘Ori: The Rebirth’.
Looking ahead, upcoming releases, including sequels and holiday films, may sustain the pace. The data underscores a robust recovery for Nigeria’s film sector, now Africa’s largest by revenue. With N11.85 billion already secured, 2025 positions the box office for its strongest year on record.
‘Nigerian cinema operators should constantly employ the right film content and film characteristics strategies to enable them boost ticket sales, maximize box office revenue, increase user penetration, increase number of viewers and also increase average revenue per viewer’, said Chibueze Ogbunankwor, a researcher at the Department of Marketing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, in a paper published in European Centre for Research Training and Development, the UK.
‘Cinema operators should focus on establishing multiplexes that have several separate rooms/halls with screens to serve audiences that have preferences for certain movie genres like comedy, action, romance, drama, and the like. Likewise, cinema operators should constantly liaise with filmmakers to improve on the storyline, acting, directing and overall production to delight cinemagoers’.
