Nollywood faith-based film, Agbara Nla: The Return, has grossed more than ₦307.2m at the box office, becoming the fourth highest-grossing Nollywood film of 2026, according to its distributor.
Nile Group announced the milestone in a social media post on Friday, October 16, thanking Nigerian audiences for supporting the production.
“Thank you, Nigeria! Agbára Ńlá: The Return has grossed N307.2M+, the highest-grossing Nollywood title ever for an October release and the 4th highest of 2026,” the distributor said.
The latest earnings represent a significant increase from the ₦170.6m the film generated during its first four days in cinemas, when it attracted widespread attention for its strong opening performance.
At the time, Nile Group described the film’s debut as the biggest non-December opening weekend for a Nollywood production, the biggest October opening and the biggest opening for a faith-based film.
From ₦170.6m to ₦307.2m
Agbara Nla: The Return opened in Nigerian cinemas on October 1, 2026, coinciding with the country’s 66th Independence Day celebrations.
The film earned approximately ₦71.4m from preview screenings before generating another ₦99.2m between October 2 and 4. The combined figures brought its opening-period gross to approximately ₦170.6m.
Its preview screenings attracted 12,134 admissions, providing an early indication of audience interest before the film’s wider theatrical run.
Following the opening, the distributor celebrated the turnout, citing packed cinemas, sold-out shows and the support of moviegoers.
The latest milestone suggests that the production continued to attract cinema audiences beyond its opening days, although Nile Group’s announcement did not include a detailed breakdown of subsequent weekly earnings.
A classic returns to cinemas
The film is a remake of Agbara Nla, the Christian drama created by filmmaker Mike Bamiloye in 1993 under Mount Zion Film Productions.
The new production was directed by his sons, Damilola Mike-Bamiloye and Joshua Mike-Bamiloye, popularly known as Jay Mikee.
Its October release brought the story back to the big screen more than three decades after the original established itself among notable productions in Nigeria’s faith-based film industry.
The remake’s commercial performance has also drawn attention to the potential of religious-themed storytelling in Nollywood’s increasingly competitive cinema market.
December has traditionally been a major release window for Nigerian filmmakers, with the festive period providing opportunities to attract audiences through holidays, family outings and increased entertainment activity.
By recording a strong opening in October and subsequently crossing the ₦307m mark, Agbara Nla: The Return has demonstrated that a Nigerian film can attract substantial cinema audiences outside the traditional festive-season window.
A significant result for faith-based cinema
The film’s performance provides a notable commercial milestone for faith-based filmmaking in Nigeria, particularly as the production builds on a story familiar to audiences who watched the original decades ago.
Its success also highlights the commercial possibilities of revisiting established Nigerian stories for contemporary cinema audiences.
However, box-office earnings should not be confused with profit. Cinema revenue is typically shared among exhibitors, distributors and production stakeholders, while production, marketing and distribution expenses affect the final financial returns.
The ₦307.2m figure and fourth-place ranking were announced by the distributor, rather than presented alongside a complete independently verified ranking of all Nigerian releases in 2026.
For the filmmakers and distributors, the achievement marks another milestone in the revival of a Christian film classic and reinforces the production’s position among the year’s leading Nollywood releases.
