West African cinemas generate N15.6bn in 2025

The West African cinema industry recorded a strong performance in 2025, generating a total box office gross of N15.6 billion from theatrical releases across the region.

The figure, compiled by FilmOne Entertainment, shows a total of 2.79 million people who went to see movies in cinemas in 2025, with 248 new films shown across 122 cinemas in West Africa.

According to the scorecard posted on the film’s official Instagram page on Tuesday, 16 movies crossed the N200 million mark, while 14 Nollywood films earned above N100 million.

The average movie ticket price for the year stood at N5,596.

The scorecard. Credit: FilmOne Entertainment

In the subcontinent, “Behind The Scenes emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood title, while FilmOne Entertainment ranked as the highest-grossing distributor of the year.”

Other category leaders included “Zootopia 2 as the highest-grossing animation, Sinners as the highest-grossing Hollywood title, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle as the top-grossing anime.”

The data further showed that Nollywood accounted for 49.4 per cent of the total market share, closely followed by Hollywood with 48.8 per cent, while films from China and Liberia contributed 1.2 per cent.

In terms of volume, 81 Nollywood films, 92 Hollywood releases, and 52 Indian titles were screened during the year, highlighting the diversity of content available to audiences.

The figures underscore a growing cinema culture and increasing appetite for both local and international stories.

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