West Africa’s film market closed 2025 with a remarkable N15.6 billion in box office revenue, with Nollywood and Hollywood titles nearly equal in market share.
According to Filmone Entertainment data released on January 6, 2026, the region recorded 2.79 million admissions across 248 new releases, including 81 Nollywood films, 92 Hollywood blockbusters, and 52 Indian titles, screened in 122 cinemas across Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia.
Nollywood secured a 49.4% market share, narrowly edging Hollywood’s 48.8%, while Ghana and Liberia accounted for the remaining 7.2%.
A breakdown
The average ticket price stood at N5,596, showing the strong appetite for cinema despite ongoing economic pressures.
Leading the charge in 2025, FilmOne Entertainment emerged as the highest-grossing distributor, powered by the comedy-drama “Behind The Scenes,” which has amassed N1.77 billion and remains in cinemas. Hollywood’s top performers included action-packed franchises such as “Sinners” (N775.8M), “Superman” (N493M), and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (N372.6M).
Local hits continued to shine, with Nollywood comedies and dramas like “Everybody Loves Jenifa” (N758.5M), “Gingerrr” (N522.9M), and “Oversabi Aunty” (N480.1M) showing both audience loyalty and growing sophistication in homegrown productions. SilverBird Cinema Ikeja retained its position as the highest-grossing cinema, drawing audiences for both local and international releases.
With 14 Nollywood titles surpassing N100 million in 2025, West Africa’s cinema market demonstrates that local productions are thriving alongside international blockbusters. As the new year unfolds, the region’s audiences are poised for sequels, animated adventures, and fresh Nollywood offerings, signaling even more growth for the West African box office.
What you should know
Nairametrics previously reported that the West African box office crossed a major threshold, generating more than N10 billion in ticket sales by the end of August 2025.
The figure reflects a sharp 58% increase from the N6.4 billion recorded during the same period last year, showing the growing strength of Nollywood and the country’s cinema culture.
Admissions also surged, reaching 1.84 million, up 16% from 1.59 million at this point in 2024.
In the first half of the yearv2025, the box office posted N7.75 billion, a 66% increase from the previous year. That momentum carried into the third quarter, pushing the cumulative tally beyond N10 billion by the end of August.
By comparison, Nigeria’s box office for 2024 reached a record-breaking N11.58 billion, a 60% increase from 2023’s N7.35 billion, driven largely by Nollywood blockbusters like Funke Akindele’s “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” which earned over N1 billion.
December 2024 was the strongest month, contributing N2.8 billion, and 15 Nollywood titles surpassed N100 million, cementing the industry’s growing commercial influence.
