Nollywood isn’t just making movies this year, it’s setting box office records, sparking timeline debates, and proving once again that Nigerian stories travel.
Here are the five films that have shaped the conversation so far.
1. Call of My Life
Nothing this year has moved quite like this one. Directed by Dammy Twitch and produced by Blessing Uzzi, this romantic comedy didn’t just do well, it became the highest-grossing romance film of the year, pulling in over ₦222 million at the box office.
If you haven’t watched it yet, the whole of Nigeria have probably already spoiled half the plot for you.
2. Love and New Notes
This one arrived with blockbuster energy and never let up. Directed by Kayode Kasum and written by Stephen Okonkwo, the film opened to more than ₦106 million, the biggest opening weekend any Nollywood movie has had this year.
Set against Nigeria’s historic 1984 currency change, it took a familiar love story and gave it real historical weight, which is exactly why people couldn’t stop talking about it.
3. Alive Till Dawn
Nollywood finally went there, its first major zombie thriller! Released in January and built around a sudden city-wide outbreak, the film follows a mismatched group of survivors fighting to stay alive.
It was a genre experiment, and a bold one, putting Nigerian filmmaking in territory usually reserved for big international franchises.
Whether or not it’s your usual taste, you have to respect the swing!
4. The Madam Efunroye Tinubu Biopic
Produced by veteran actress Faithia Williams, this historical epic tells the story of the 19th-century merchant and kingmaker who rose from a humble trader to become one of Lagos’s most powerful political and economic forces.
It enjoyed a strong theatrical run nationwide and reminded audiences just how compelling Nigerian history can be when it’s given the big-screen treatment it deserves.
5. Ajosepo: The Gathering
The sequel nobody slept on. Directed by Kayode Kasum, this follow-up to 2024’s Ajosepo brings two families back together for a lavish Yoruba wedding, two years after a scandal nearly tore them apart the first time.
It opened strong and delivered exactly the kind of chaos and drama fans were hoping for.
Family drama at a wedding never misses, and Nollywood knows it.
Halfway through the year, and Nollywood’s already proven it can do romance, history, horror, and family drama, all while breaking records along the way.
The only question now is what the second half of 2026 has in store!
0 Comments