Which African country’s movie industry grosses the most money? Before you rush and say Nigeria, South Africa, or even Kenya, let me stop you right there. When it comes to the country whose cinematic releases make the most money, it is not just about noise.
Here’s the richest movie industry in Africa: The Egyptian Movie Industry
This is the oldest and largest movie industry in the Arab world and also in Africa. A report from the Cairo Film Connection, which showed key trends in the Egyptian film industry, highlighted just how influential and big the sector is. 
The reason for this is Saudi Arabia’s interest in Egyptian films, which became the main revenue source for nine of Egypt’s top film exports from 2021 to 2024. Saudi Arabia’s market accounted for 27% of the top 65 films at its box office, with major successes.
In 2024, Egyptian films secured the third-highest market share in Saudi Arabia, generating over $53 million and surpassing local revenues. The report also notes that Egyptian-Saudi co-productions benefit from tax incentives. Overall, Egypt’s domestic box office revenue reached $37 million in 2025 after a steep decline following COVID-19.
In 2025, the Egyptian box office for foreign movies grossed $1,595,633 with just 29 releases. Jurassic World was the most-seen movie, according to Box Office Mojo.
South African Movie Industry
South Africa’s movie industry is making significant progress by attracting international filmmakers. Sunday World reports that from November 2024 to June 2025, foreign-owned film production companies invested a total of R2.52 billion (approximately $157 million to $158 million USD), with projections of investments exceeding R5 billion (approximately $312 million to $313 million USD) by October 2025.
Furthermore, in 2025, the South African box office for foreign movies reported a gross of $34,704,864, marking a 15.96% increase according to Box Office Mojo. There were over 150 releases; the most successful film during this period was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle.
Nigerian Movie Industry
Nigeria’s movie industry achieved a record performance in 2025, grossing ₦15.6 billion (approximately $10.4 million), a 34.72% increase from 2024’s ₦11.58 billion, according to the West Africa 2025 Box Office Scorecard by FilmOne Entertainment and Comscore data.
With 2.79 million admissions across 122 cinemas, the average ticket price rose to ₦5,596. The year saw 248 new releases, including 81 Nollywood films, 92 Hollywood titles, and 52 Indian productions. Sixteen films earned over ₦200 million, and 14 Nollywood films surpassed ₦100 million in gross revenue.
For their international releases, Nigeria’s box office only saw $389,436, with Jurassic World: Rebirth being the most seen movie, per Box Office Mojo.
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The Biggest Film Industry in Africa
However, when people discuss the “biggest” movie industry in Africa, they talk about the number of movies released. Second only to India, Nigeria releases a massive amount of movies every year; from cinema releases to Netflix, Prime, and YouTube, the market is saturated.
According to a 2021 Intelpoint report, here is a list of African countries with the highest number of movies released annually:
1. Nigeria
2. Ghana
3. Kenya
4. Tanzania
5. Uganda
6. Tunisia
7. Ethiopia
8. Zambia
9. Liberia
10. Egypt
Ultimately, the country with the “top” movie industry depends on which metric you value most. If the goal is influence and pure output, Nigeria remains on top. However, if the goal is financial power and box office dominance, Egypt and South Africa currently hold the crown.
While Nollywood is the biggest in terms of stories told, Egypt’s international partnerships and the lucrative Middle Eastern market make it the “richest”.
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