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Nigeria’s box office has kicked off 2026 on a historic note, recording what industry analysts have described as the biggest New Year weekend ever.
Cinemas across the country grossed over ₦700 million between January 2 and 4, driven by strong holiday momentum, impressive holdovers, and the continued dominance of Behind the Scenes.
According to NGA Box Office, the weekend’s performance was unprecedented not only in revenue but also in audience turnout. The tracking body reported more than 116,000 admissions over the three-day period, marking the strongest start to a year in Nigerian box office history.
“This is definitely the biggest start-to-the-year weekend that we’ve ever seen,” NGA Box Office stated.
Sitting firmly at the top of the chart, Behind the Scenes maintained its remarkable run, grossing ₦345.4 million in its fourth weekend alone.
This pushed the film’s cumulative earnings to ₦1.769 billion, a figure NGA Box Office described as “unthinkable” by local standards.
Analysts noted that many Nollywood films struggle to reach such numbers over their entire theatrical lifespan. The film is widely expected to become the highest-grossing Nollywood release of all time within days, with projections pointing to another major milestone before the end of the week.
Second place went to Oversabi Aunty, which delivered an exceptional third weekend performance. The film earned ₦176.5 million, bringing its total box office gross to ₦711.6 million.
NGA Box Office labelled the run “remarkably incredible,” highlighting it as one of the strongest theatrical performances of its category in terms of both admissions and revenue.
James Cameron’s Avatar 3 secured third position with ₦75.1 million in its second weekend, pushing its Nigerian total to ₦470 million. Meanwhile, local title Colours of Fire continued to gain traction, grossing ₦25.6 million to cross ₦102.7 million just ten days into its release, including advance screenings.
Animated sequel Zootopia 2 demonstrated notable staying power, adding ₦19.8 million in its sixth weekend to reach a cumulative ₦179.2 million.
Rounding out the top six was A Very Dirty Christmas, which earned ₦19.2 million in its third weekend, taking its total gross to ₦113.6 million.
Beyond individual film performances, NGA Box Office emphasized the broader significance of the weekend’s turnout.
The 116,000 admissions far exceeded comparable early-January periods in previous years. For comparison, the first weekend of 2019 recorded approximately 78,000 admissions, while 2023 opened with about 53,000, underscoring the scale of this year’s growth.
Although the holiday corridor has officially closed a period typically associated with inflated figures analysts expect the top-performing titles to continue posting respectable numbers through mid-January. Strong word-of-mouth and sustained audience interest are expected to cushion the usual post-holiday drop-offs.
NGA Box Office also noted that Nollywood releases accounted for an estimated 80 percent of total box office revenue during the period, reinforcing the genre’s dominance in Nigeria’s theatrical landscape.
Overall, the record-breaking weekend signals renewed confidence in the Nigerian box office and points to a potentially landmark year for local cinema exhibition.
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