The box office has opened 2026 with what analysts are calling its biggest New Year weekend ever, as cinemas grossed over ₦700 million between January 2 and 4, driven by strong holdovers and sustained holiday momentum and continued dominance of ‘Behind the Scenes’
According to NGA Box Office, the weekend’s performance was unprecedented not just in revenue but also in audience turnout. “This is definitely the biggest start-to-the-year weekend that we’ve ever seen,” the box office tracking body noted, citing over 116,000 admissions over the three-day period.
At the top of the chart, ‘Behind the Scenes’ continued its dominant run, grossing ₦345.4 million in its fourth weekend to bring its cumulative total to ₦1.769 billion. NGA Box Office described the film’s endurance as “unthinkable” by local standards, pointing out that many Nollywood titles fail to reach such figures over their entire theatrical lifetimes. The film is expected to officially become the highest-grossing Nollywood release of all time within days, with analysts projecting another major milestone before the end of the week.
Second place went to ‘Oversabi Aunty’, which delivered a standout third weekend, earning ₦176.5 million and lifting its total gross to ₦711.6 million. NGA Box Office called the film’s performance “remarkably incredible”, describing it as the best theatrical outing of its kind, both in admissions and revenue.
James Cameron’s ‘Avatar 3’ held third position with ₦75.1 million in its second weekend, pushing its Nigerian total to ₦470 million, while local release ‘Colours of Fire’ continued to build steadily, grossing ₦25.6 million to cross ₦102.7 million just ten days into release, including advance screenings.
Animated sequel ‘Zootopia 2’ added ₦19.8 million in its sixth weekend for a cumulative ₦179.2 million, demonstrating notable longevity, while ‘A Very Dirty Christmas’ rounded out the top six with ₦19.2 million, bringing its total to ₦113.6 million in its third weekend.
Beyond individual titles, NGA Box Office emphasised the broader significance of the weekend’s turnout. The 115,000 admissions recorded far outpaced comparable early-January frames in previous years. For context, the first weekend of 2019 drew roughly 78,000 admissions, while 2023 opened with about 53,000, underscoring the scale of this year’s performance.
While the holiday corridor has now closed—a period that typically fuels inflated numbers—NGA Box Office expects noticeable week-on-week drops. However, analysts believe the top performers will continue to post “decent” figures through mid-January, buoyed by strong word-of-mouth and sustained audience interest.
The tracker also noted that Nollywood releases continue to dominate the market, accounting for an estimated 80% of total box office revenue, a sign of how heavily the Nigerian theatrical calendar still leans on year-end tentpoles.
However, the takeaway is clear: 2026 has begun with renewed confidence at the Nigerian box office, with admissions, grosses, and holdover strength all pointing to a potentially landmark year for local exhibition.
