Nollywood: "Agbara Nla: The Return" surpasses 71 million naira in its opening weekend

"Agbara Nla: The Return" has taken the top spot at the Nigerian box office, grossing over 71 million naira during its opening weekend, the daily newspaper Vanguard reported on October 3, 2026, citing the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The film was released in theaters on October 1, 2026, following a week of previews that began on September 25.

The opening day figures are what caught the attention of industry professionals. According to Nigeria Info, the film recorded 12,134 admissions on its first day, marking the best opening in terms of audience numbers for the year 2026 in Nigeria, with a gross of approximately 70 million naira. Co-director Damilola Mike-Bamiloye stated on his Instagram account that this was the biggest opening day ever achieved by a Nollywood title and one of the largest single-day previews in West Africa.

Thirty-three years after the original

The film is a remake of "Agbara Nla," also known by the title "The Ultimate Power," a 1993 Christian film directed by Mike Bamiloye that became a cult classic in West African evangelical churches, where it circulated on VHS tapes and later VCDs long before the current cinema circuit existed.

The new version is directed by Damilola Mike-Bamiloye and Joshua Bamiloye, sons of the original creator, and produced by Mount Zion Film Productions in partnership with Sozo Films and Circuits. Distribution is handled by The Nile Entertainment. The cast includes Philip Olubakin in the role of Olaboye, Damilola Bamiloye (Kola), Aanu Kolade-Abiodun (Bose), and Mike Bamiloye himself, who reprises the role of Isawuru that he played in 1993.

Faith-based cinema, a quiet powerhouse of Nollywood

This success says something about the Nigerian market that international rankings often fail to capture. So-called "faith-based" cinema, long kept away from multiplexes and streaming platforms, has a massive audience organized through church and community networks, capable of filling theaters from the very first day without traditional advertising campaigns. Mount Zion, founded by the Bamiloye family, has been cultivating this audience since the 1990s.

It is also a reminder that Nollywood is not a single industry but a mosaic: English-language films aimed at the international market, popular Yoruba cinema, Hausa productions from Kannywood, and religious cinema. The Nigerian box office, whose annual revenues are now counted in billions of naira, is increasingly structured by these distinct audiences, each with its own stars and circuits. "Agbara Nla: The Return" continues its theatrical run in Nigeria and elsewhere in West Africa.