Highest-Grossing Nollywood Films of Early 2026 Revealed

Highest-grossing Nollywood films of the first half of 2026 generated over ₦2.25 billion, led by Call of My Life with ₦719.8 million at the box office

Nigerian cinema recorded a robust first half of 2026, with the top ten highest-grossing Nollywood films collectively generating more than ₦2.25 billion in box-office revenue.

Also read: Ayra Starr’s Starrgirl Makes Strong Billboard Debut

The figures come from ShockNG’s H1 2026 Nigerian Box Office Intelligence Series, compiled from Comscore Movies data.

The total represents the strongest cumulative performance by Nollywood’s leading titles in a first-half period in recent years and reflects growing audience appetite for local productions in cinemas.

Romantic stories featured prominently among the standout releases, while historical epics, family dramas and regionally focused narratives also found strong support.

Call of My Life led the ranking by a clear margin. Released in May, the romantic comedy grossed ₦719,841,658 over nine weeks and emerged as the undisputed box-office leader of the period.

In second place, Love and New Notes earned ₦400,469,044 across a 15-week theatrical run.

Released in February, the film was one of the year’s earliest major performers and helped confirm the commercial strength of romantic stories.

The Return of Arinzo followed with ₦351,501,897 over ten weeks.

The sequel Ajosepo: The Gathering recorded ₦164,980,425 during its seven-week run.

Onobiren, released in March, took fifth place with ₦138,340,673 after 15 weeks, demonstrating the staying power of certain titles beyond their opening weekends.

Faithia Williams’ historical epic Efunroye, which tells the story of the 19th-century merchant Madam Efunroye Tinubu, earned ₦114,889,200 over ten weeks.

The Creek followed with ₦108,146,532 after nine weeks.

Mother’s Love crossed the ₦100 million mark, grossing ₦103,094,664 over 11 weeks. The drama also marked Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s directorial debut.

The Boy Who Gave, a drama centred on young people in the Niger Delta, earned ₦82,393,225 over nine weeks.

Rounding out the list was Iwe Ala, which recorded ₦74,093,920. Released in June, the film had only four weeks of data included in the H1 tracking period.

The results underline a broader shift in audience behaviour, with more Nigerians choosing cinema tickets for local stories. Industry observers note that consistent theatrical performance by a diverse range of titles has strengthened confidence in Nollywood’s commercial potential.

Also read: Ayra Starr’s Starrgirl Makes Strong Billboard Debut

While these figures capture only the first six months of the year, they set a high benchmark for the remainder of 2026 and highlight the growing importance of theatrical releases for Nigerian filmmakers.