‘Behind The Scenes’ continues to dominate the Nigerian box office, reinforcing its status as the defining theatrical run of the season. In its sixth week, the film delivered a ₦112.3 million weekend haul, pushing its cumulative gross to ₦2.29 billion and further strengthening its historic admissions run. According to the NGA Box Office, the film has now surpassed ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ in ticket sales and is pushing toward a rare milestone, with only three films in Nigerian box office history having crossed the 400,000 admissions mark.
The NGA Box Office notes that those titles include ‘The Wedding Party’, which achieved the feat in 2016; ‘Black Panther’ (2018) with over 528,000 tickets sold; and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, which crossed the 450,000 mark in 2020. With ‘Behind The Scenes’ edging closer to that territory, its performance is being described as exceptional, particularly within the context of today’s cinema economics.
What makes the run even more remarkable, the NGA Box Office observes, is that audiences are turning out in large numbers despite significantly higher ticket prices. Where cinema admissions once averaged between ₦1,000 and ₦1,500 in earlier peak years, premium ticket prices now climb as high as ₦6,000 in some locations. Yet, ‘Behind The Scenes’ continues to post strong averages per location, pointing to sustained interest and repeat viewership.
‘Oversabi Aunty’ also maintained a solid hold on the market, grossing ₦52.9 million over the weekend to bring its total earnings to ₦950.8 million. The comedy has now crossed 160,000 admissions, and the NGA Box Office notes that on a like-for-like basis, the film has outperformed titles such as ‘Brotherhood’ and ‘King of Thieves’. With its steady pace, ‘Oversabi Aunty’ is projected to close its run near the 200,000 admissions mark, a strong outcome by current standards.
In third place, Disney’s ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ earned ₦24.9 million for the weekend, lifting its cumulative gross to ₦590.7 million. While the film has not matched the box office heights of ‘The Way of Water’, the NGA Box Office explains that this softer performance reflects a global trend rather than a local anomaly. In Nigeria, higher ticket prices have helped sustain revenue growth, and the film is expected to continue climbing toward the ₦650 million range.
Lower on the chart, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ opened with ₦9.5 million, while ‘Colours of Fire’ and ‘Anaconda’ posted ₦6.9 million and ₦6.3 million, respectively, rounding out a diverse theatrical slate.
Overall, January is shaping up to be an unusually strong month for cinemas. The NGA Box Office projects total grosses for the month to surpass ₦2 billion, a rare occurrence outside the December corridor, highlighting the enduring strength of December carryovers and signalling renewed momentum for the industry as 2026 progresses.
