In a groundbreaking achievement, Nigeria’s cinema industry has raked in over ₦7 billion, which is equivalent to $4.2 million—on a 1 naira to 0.00061 dollar exchange rate—in ticket sales by the end of September 2024, setting a new record with over 1.7 million moviegoers flooding theatres across the nation. This impressive feat comes despite Nigeria having fewer than 300 screens nationwide. By comparison, France, with a population of 68 million, opened 115 new screens in 2022 alone, further highlighting Nigeria’s infrastructural challenges given its population of over 200 million.
For context, the total box office revenue for 2023 was ₦7.2 billion, meaning that 2024 is already on track to surpass that figure—and with a few months still left in the year, the Nigerian film industry could be eyeing a record-smashing ₦10 billion milestone.
This surge in box office success can be attributed to a stellar lineup of local and international films, with a series of blockbuster releases in the final quarter of 2024 likely to push the industry even higher. Among these much-anticipated films are Omoni Oboli’s The Uprising: Wives on Strike 3 (October), Basketmouth’s A Ghetto Love Story (November), and two December heavyweights: Funke Akindele’s Everybody Loves Jenifa and AY’s The Waiter.
Nigerian production houses and international studios alike are seeing success, with top-grossing films like Ajesepo, Lakatabu, and Beast of Two Worlds joining the exclusive ₦200 million+ club. Meanwhile, Queen Lateefah and Farmer’s Bride set records with massive opening weekends, while A Tribe Called Judah has already grossed over ₦610 million this year alone. Hollywood blockbusters, including Hellboy and Hounds of War, are also enjoying success in Nigerian cinemas, proving that the local audience has a growing appetite for international content.
The Nile Group, one of the leading cinema distributors in the country, took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone: “RECORD BREAKING YEAR 2024. Nigeria’s box office hits N7B ticket sales with 1.7M+ admissions and still counting,” the post read. They went on to highlight the Q4 lineup, including The Uprising: Wives on Strike 3, A Ghetto Love Story, and other heavy-hitters scheduled for release in the coming months.
“With this stellar lineup, we project a record-breaking box office performance, exceeding 10 billion naira in sales for the full year 2024,” the Nile Group concluded optimistically.
As the year progresses, all eyes will be on Nigeria’s burgeoning cinema industry, which continues to thrive despite its infrastructural limitations, proving that storytelling and cinematic culture are truly thriving in Africa’s most populous nation.
