Nollywood leveled up significantly in 2025. By November, Nigerian cinemas had already crossed ₦10 billion in ticket sales, with projections pushing the year toward ₦15 billion, a 58% jump from 2024.
What’s more impressive is how that money was made from different genres and different stars, across epics, romance, thrillers, comedy, and culturally rooted stories.
From slow-burn family dramas to record-smashing heist films, audiences turned up consistently. Here are the 10 highest-grossing Nollywood movies of 2025, ranked from lowest to highest. 
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10. Something About the Briggs — ₦91.34m
A modest opener that grew quietly. Bukola Ogunsola’s family drama explored wealth, secrecy, and emotional distance within an elite Nigerian household. Opening with ₦35.6m, the film relied on word of mouth rather than spectacle, proving that grounded storytelling still has a place in a blockbuster-heavy market.
9. My Mother Is a Witch — ₦100.63m
Directed by Niyi Akinmolayan and released in May, this emotionally heavy drama blended supernatural themes with a fractured mother-daughter relationship. Strong performances from Mercy Aigbe and Efe Irele helped push the film past the ₦100m mark, a notable achievement in a crowded mid-year slate dominated by bigger-budget releases.
8. Red Circle — ₦117.73m
Directed by Akay Mason and produced by Nora Awolowo, Red Circle leaned fully into the crime-thriller lane. With tense pacing, violent confrontations, and a ticking-clock narrative, the film appealed to younger audiences hungry for genre cinema. Its steady climb to ₦117.7m highlighted Nollywood’s growing appetite for action-driven stories.
7. Abanisete: The Ancestor — ₦152.8m
This historical epic combined mythology, tradition, and family legacy, pulling in audiences eager for culturally rooted narratives. High production values and strong ensemble performances helped the film sustain momentum beyond opening weekend, reinforcing the commercial viability of epic storytelling. Kudos to the directors: Tope Adebayo, Adebayo Tijani, and Ibrahim Yekini.
6. Owambe Thieves — ₦205.63m
Opening during Easter, this crime-comedy, directed by Adeoluwa Owu, took full advantage of Nigeria’s love for weddings, chaos, and satire. Its ₦96m opening weekend quickly doubled, crossing ₦200m despite releasing outside peak festive seasons. Proof that humour plus cultural familiarity remains box-office gold.
5. Labake Olododo — ₦264.28m
Iyabo Ojo’s Yoruba-language epic arrived with heavy anticipation and delivered with the direction of Biodun Stephen. Rooted in heritage and powered by strong female leadership, the film opened at ₦114m and maintained momentum, reaffirming Yoruba cinema’s commercial dominance in mainstream Nollywood.
4. Iyalode — ₦306.36m
Toyin Abraham once again proved her box-office pull. Released during Eid, Iyalode combined political ambition, tradition, and personal conflict. With a massive ₦138m opening weekend, it held strong against Hollywood competition, cementing Abraham’s status as one of Nollywood’s most bankable stars.
3. Reel Love — ₦356.82m
Released on Valentine’s Day, this romance-drama doubled as a sharp commentary on performative relationships and social media fame. Timini Egbuson’s producer debut, directed by Kayode Kasum, opened strong and grew even stronger, holding the top box-office spot for five straight weeks.
2. Ori: Rebirth — ₦419.57m
Few films showed staying power like Ori: Rebirth. Opening at ₦115.5m and climbing to ₦419.5m, the epic achieved a rare 3.6x multiplier. Directed by Muyiwa Ademola, the movie’s success underscored how deeply audiences connect with stories centered on destiny, legacy, and cultural identity.
1. Gingerrr — ₦509.3m
The undisputed champion of 2025. This female-led action-comedy-heist, executively produced by Ope Ajayi, Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori, Bisola Aiyeola, Wumi Toriola, Bolaji Ogunmola, and Creative Catalyst, broke and rewrote records.
Opening at ₦82m and crossing ₦500m in weeks, Gingerrr became one of Nollywood’s highest-grossing films ever, proving audiences will fully back bold, genre-driven storytelling when it’s done right.
The Bigger Picture
From January to August alone, Nollywood’s top 10 films generated ₦2.1 billion, nearly matching Hollywood’s ₦2.4 billion from its top five releases in Nigeria.
The takeaway is clear: local stories are no longer competing for space. They now dominate it. In 2025, Nollywood clearly owned the box office.
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