Faith-based Nollywood movie, Agbara Nla: The Return, has generated more than N71 million from preview screenings, setting a new record for the biggest single-day preview gross in the West African box office.
The movie, which officially opened in cinemas on Friday, October 2, sold more than 12,000 tickets during its preview screenings, according to box office figures reported by Nile Entertainment and the Nigerian box office.
The premier is the highest single-day preview gross recorded in West Africa and the highest preview admissions for a film in 2026.
Initial figures put the movie’s earnings at about N70 million from 12,134 admissions before its distributor announced that the gross had surpassed N71 million.
The performance also placed Agbara Nla ahead of other major films at the weekly box office, despite the movie being screened only as a preview during the period.
The film’s strong opening comes 33 years after the original Agbara Nla, a Yoruba Christian movie that became a notable production in Nigeria’s faith-based film industry.
The movie’s early box office performance was concentrated largely in Lagos and other South-West markets, which accounted for the majority of its reported revenue. Abuja emerged as the strongest market outside the South-West.
Agbara Nla also outperformed several major titles during the period. Star Lomo recorded N45.8 million from about 7,900 admissions, while Avengers: Endgame – Encore grossed N44.2 million from 7,549 admissions.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day generated N34.5 million, taking its cumulative West African gross beyond N2.3 billion.
Resident Evil, in its second week, recorded N29.8 million from 4,214 admissions, taking its cumulative gross to N76.1 million.
Other films on the chart included 19, with N18 million; Heart of the Beast, N16 million; The Odyssey, N13.3 million; King Kosoko, N8.9 million; and Ikenga, N7.7 million.
The record performance adds to a growing run of strong box office results for faith-based films in Nigeria.
In 2024, What About Us, the filmmaking debut of Celebration Church International’s lead pastor, Emmanuel Iren, opened with N24.6 million and later crossed the N100 million mark.
In March 2026, Onobiren: A Woman’s Story, directed by Laju Iren, opened with N30.1 million between March 6 and 8 across Nigeria and Ghana. The movie ended its seven-week theatrical run with N138.1 million at the West African box office.
With more than N71 million earned before its official nationwide release, Agbara Nla: The Return has started its theatrical run with a record-setting preview performance and a strong base for its subsequent box office run.
