“Call of My Life” leads 2026 with ₦574M, followed by Yoruba sequel “The Return of Arinzo” at ₦351M. Faith-based dramas, rom-coms and one historical epic dominate Nigerian cinemas.
Six months into 2026, Nigerian cinemas are packed again. And it’s not just Funke Akindele pulling crowds. One romantic comedy just crossed ₦500 million, while a 17-year-old Yoruba sequel, a faith-based drama, and a historical epic about a 19th-century queen are all fighting for the top spot.
The biggest surprise? A simple story about a broken heart and a phone call.
Call of My Life is the year’s biggest earner so far, with ₦574 million . It’s a romantic comedy about Soluchi (Uzoamaka Power), who gets left by her boyfriend Kalu, then reconnects with a charming stranger through a routine customer service call. Simple. Relatable. Perfectly marketed.
Nigerians didn’t just watch it, they laughed, cried, and came back for more.
The second-highest earner is The Return of Arinzo, a sequel to the 2013 Yoruba classic Arinzo, directed by Iyabo Ojo . A rising actor returns home with his fiancée to support his father’s presidential bid, only to uncover a 17-year-old scandal. Political betrayal + family secrets = box office gold.
Then there’s Onobiren: A Woman’s Story, a faith-based drama by Laju Iren that ran for seven weeks in cinemas . Roli leaves Warri for Lagos, holds onto her father’s lessons, and builds a life on resilience. It crossed ₦138 million, proving spiritual stories still sell.
Kayode Kasum returns with Ajosepo: The Gathering, a sequel about two families reunioning at a lavish Yoruba wedding . It opened at ₦41.3 million and has now earned over ₦128 million.
Faithia Williams produces Efunroye: The Unicorn, a historical epic about Madam Efunroye Tinubu, the 19th-century merchant-queen who rose from a humble trader to Lagos’s most powerful kingmaker . It crossed ₦102.6 million.
Nollywood icon Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde made her directorial debut with a family drama about a sheltered young woman, her NYSC year, and the quiet secrets her mother has carried for years. The film crossed ₦100 million, proof that Omotola commands attention whether she is in front of the camera or behind it.
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The Boy Who Gave (₦73 million) is the emotionally heaviest entry on this list, a teenager in the creeks of Port Harcourt giving up his childhood to raise his siblings after losing both parents.
Aba Blues (₦52 million) takes audiences back to 1989 and a marriage tested by a resurfacing first love.
Okanjuwa (₦34 million) delivers Lagos Eid comedy at its most chaotic.
And To Adaego With Love (around ₦23 million) tells a forbidden love story set in post-civil war Nigeria, a Northern soldier, an Eastern school teacher, and a country still learning to heal.
This isn’t just a list. It’s proof that Nollywood isn’t one genre anymore. Rom-coms, Yoruba nostalgia, faith dramas, and historical epics are all winning.
