Agbara Nla Leads Nigerian Box Office With ₦47.5m Weekend Earnings

Kehinde Adeleye

Nollywood faith-based film, Agbara Nla, has grossed ₦354.5m at the Nigerian box office since its release in cinemas on October 1, according to its distributor, Nile Entertainment.

The film, a remake of the 33-year-old Christian classic produced by Mount Zion Film Productions, also recorded an opening weekend gross of $120,660 in selected cinemas in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Co-produced by Mount Zion Film Productions, Sozo Films and Circuits, Agbara Nla was distributed internationally in Europe in partnership with IFEC.

Nile Entertainment disclosed the figures in a statement on Tuesday, announcing that three films distributed by the company occupied the top three positions at the Nigerian weekend box office.

Agbara Nla led the chart with ₦47.50m, followed by Street Fighter, which grossed ₦36.43m, and The Other Mummy, which earned ₦8.67m.

The three films generated a combined ₦92.61m, representing 58.9 per cent of the weekend’s total box office earnings. The distributor’s entire slate accounted for 68 per cent of the total.

The company attributed Agbara Nla’s performance to a marketing campaign that combined nostalgia for the original film with efforts to attract younger audiences.

“Released on October 1, Agbara Nla, a remake of the 33-year-old Christian film classic from Mount Zion, has grossed ₦354.5 million cumulatively at the Nigerian box office,” the statement said.

It added that the campaign involved engagement with the Mount Zion community, endorsements from church leaders and online promotions.

According to the distributor, these activities generated more than ₦71m in advance ticket sales in a single day.

Nile Entertainment also said the film had achieved several milestones for Nollywood releases in the United Kingdom, including the biggest Nollywood release of 2026, the biggest opening weekend for a Nollywood film, the highest pre-sales for a Nollywood film and the biggest-ever faith-based Nollywood film.

Meanwhile, Street Fighter and The Other Mummy, which both premiered in cinemas on October 16, were promoted through marketing campaigns tailored to their respective audiences.

The distributor said the performance of the three films reflected its strategy of developing marketing campaigns based on each production’s genre and target audience.

“While Agbara Nla drew on decades of cultural recognition and an established faith-based audience, Street Fighter and The Other Mummy required targeted engagement with communities connected to their respective genres,” the statement added.

Nile Entertainment’s General Manager, Nowe Segun-Ojo, said the company’s performance reflected its distribution strategy since it began operations in August 2024.

“Since commencing operations in August 2024, we have focused on building a distribution business that understands the films it represents and the audiences they serve,” Segun-Ojo said.

He described having three films occupy the top three positions at the weekend box office as an encouraging milestone for the relatively young company.

He added that the distributor would continue working with its production and studio partners to build on the achievement.