Entertainment
Memorable Landmarks In Nigeria’s Entertainment Industry
The Nigerian entertainment industry is unarguably one of the profitable industries in the country. The Tide Entertainment reports that the fast-growing industry will generate $14.8 billion revenue in 2025. The industry revenue is expected to rise from $7.7 billion in 2021 to $9 billion in 2022, $10.7 billion in 2023, $12.6 billion in 2024 and $14.8 billion in 2025. 85% of this revenue will be generated by access to the Internet.
The Tide Entertainment
gathered that Nigeria’s media and entertainment industry is one of the fastest growing creative industries in the world. It has the capability to become the country’s greatest export, with projected annual growth rate of 8.6 per cent and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.3per cent from 2018-2023.
In 2021, Nigeria’s film industry contributed 2.3per cent and about N239 billion ($660 million) to GDP and predicts that the industry will increase its export revenue earnings to over $1 billion. The motion picture and music recording industry exceeded 2020 estimated $806 million revenue contributing about N730 billion to the country’s GDP.
The traditional TV and home video segment is the industry’s second-largest market. However, due to competition from other segments, its market share is projected to decline from 9% to 6% contrary to its expected rise from $692m in 2021 to $865m in 2025. Therefore, this led to the key players in the sector capitalizing on the internet wave. For instance, Arise TV, Channels TV and Television Continental (TVC) have advanced towards the internet to retain their relevance in the media sector.
The market share of newspaper and consumer magazine, out-of-home advertising, and TV advertising sub-sectors are expected to reduce to one percent each by 2025 with their revenue at $173 million, $158 million, and $179 million respectively.
The Nigerian Film Industry (Nollywood) is globally recognised as the second largest film producer in the world with the financial value of the film industry put at $6.4 billion as of 2021. Nollywood contributes 2.3 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with over 2500 movies produced annually.
According to the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria, every Nollywood movie that has a theatrical release has collectively grossed more than N800 million, with some of them even making more than double what others did. One of such films is Jade Osiberu’s ‘Brotherhood’, which was released on September 23rd, 2022 in Nigerian cinemas. It grossed over N165 million in less than one month since its release and It has grossed N328, 881,120 in the 14th week of its release. Brotherhood was the number 1 Nollywood film at the box office for 10 consecutive weeks.
Also, Femi Adebayo’s ‘King of Thieves’, which was released on April 8, 2022 in Nigerian cinemas grossed about N317, 792,250. After its successful run at the box office, Prime Video acquired the rights to stream it on its platform.
Streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime video have made watching movies in our comfort zones possible. Quite a number of Nollywood movies had excellent ratings in 2022. One of it is Anikulapo, a Netflix original movie produced by Kunle Afolayan. This Non-English film was released on 30th September, 2022, it was watched for 8.7 million hours within 11 days of its release and was ranked number 1 globally on Netflix. It grossed N12,599,900 in two weeks at the cinemas.
Another Netflix original movie which was released on 28th October, 2022 is Mo Abudu’s ‘Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman’ The film is an adaptation of Prof. Wole Soyinka’s “Death and the King’s Horseman”. It was ranked Number 1 amongst the top 10 movies in Nigeria within 24 hours of launch. It grossed N4,971,800 within a week of hitting the cinemas.
Other top Nollywood movies released in 2022 include: Mo Abudu’s “Blood sisters”. A 4-part exhilarating series, it ranked number 1 in Nigeria within 24 hours of its launch on Netflix and 11, 070,000 hours of viewing within the first week. Another original Netflix movie is Bolanle Austen-Peters’ “Man of God”. 24 hours after its releaser, it topped the charts in Nigeria and also one of the top ten movies in U.S and Canada.
Far from Home produced by Inkblot productions and written by Dami Elebe is another top Netflix series which ranked Number 1 within 24 hours of its release. Also, Passport produced by Vincent Okonkwo made N86,207,925 within 9 weeks of its release and is one of the top Nollywood movies in 2022.
In addition, Nollywood is wrapping up the year on a good note with its high grossing movies currently showing in the cinemas. One of it is Funke Akindele’s ‘Battle on Buka Street’ which was released on 16th December, 2022. This movie has grossed over N360 million within three weeks of its release, this is the highest grossing title for the weekend in the west African territory and highest one day grossing for a Nollywood film with N41 million.
Another movie currently doing well in the cinemas is Ijakumo (The Born Again Stripper) produced by Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi. This movie was released in cinemas nationwide on 23rd December, 2022 and it grossed over N87 million in just seven days of its release, this is the biggest opening week for a Nollywood film in 2022. It has grossed N136 million in 11 days of its release, making it the 4th highest Nollywood movie of the year 2022.
According to Stears Business, Nigeria’s music industry is the second best-performing entertainment and media consumer market in the world. The study conducted by Statista in Nigeria revealed that the music sector’s revenue grew from 26 million dollars in 2014 to 34 million dollars in 2018. This figure, as projected by Statista is expected to grow to 44 million dollars in 2023.
In 2022, Nigerian artistes outdid themselves which gave them a global recognition. A lot of Nigerian songs received a great number of views across streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Boomplay and Audiomack.
According to Dataleum, the top 10 most viewed Nigerian music videos on YouTube released in 2022 include: Rema’s “Calm down” with 299 million views, Burma boy’s “Last last” with 140 million views, Kizz Daniel’s “Buga” with 107 million views, For my hand by Burna boy ft Ed Sheeran with 70 million views, Finesse by Pheelz ft BNXN with 61 million views, Rush by Ayra Starr with 53.1 million views, No wahala (remix) by 1da Banton ft Kizz Daniel & Tiwa Savage witth 53 million views, Bandana by Fireboy ft Asake with 44 million views, Overloading by Mavin All Stars with 44 million views and Sungba (remix) by Asake ft Burna boy with 35 million views.
The most streamed Nigerian artiste of the year is Burna boy with three billion streams on Spotify. His 2022 album, “Love Damini” was the number 1 Nigerian album on Apple Music in 2022. Also, the album surpassed 350 million streams on Spotify, making it the highest-streamed African album of 2022. The Grammy Award winner recently broke records as he became the first artiste to garner over 600 million views on Boomplay.
In addition to this, his 2022 lbum “Love Damini” is the fastest growing project, amassing 300 million streams within four months of its release, thereby becoming the first project to collate such numbers on Boomplay. Career wise, It was a successful year for Burna boy as he bagged two awards at the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards which was held on 30th November, 2022. The two awards he received were for the “Best African Music Act, 2022” and “Best International Act, 2022” respectively.
According to TurnTable Charts, in 2022 Asake had the greatest breakout year Nigeria has ever seen. After dominating 2022 with his hit releases, Asake crowned it with his record-breaking debut album “Mr Money with the Vibe”. This album was the number one album 12 weeks consecutively after its release racking up over 292 million streams across streaming platforms.
It also peaked at number one in 26 countries on Apple Music album chart, held 2nd position on billboard world album chart and the first album to have all its tracks occupy the first 12 spots on Apple Music Nigeria Top 100.
To cap the year, The YBNL signee won the “Artist of the year” award at African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA), he won the “Breakout Artiste of the year” award at NET honours Class of 2022 and he got his first international award nomination at the MOBO awards 2022 in the Best African Music Act Category. Music Streaming Platform, Audiomack announced Asake as its artist of the year due to the success of his debut album which has become the highest-charting album by a Nigerian artiste on Audiomack which received over 330 million streams on the platform.
Year 2022 was undoubtedly the year of significant wins for the Nigerian Music Industry. One of the major wins is that Six Nigerian artistes featured in the Blank Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Tems with “No woman, no cry”, Fireboy DML with “Coming back for you”, Burna boy sang “Alone”, CKay sang “Anya Mmiri”, Bloody Civilian and Rema stirred us with “Wake up”, lastly Rema thrilled us with “Pantera”
In addition, Wizkid and Burna boy sold out the Madison Square Garden with 20,789 capacity. This was another win for the Nigerian music industry in 2022. Coupled with this is Davido being on the Qatar 2022 World Cup Official Anthem and he also performed at the World Cup final.
Also, in June 2022, Tems won two awards at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards after receiving 3 nominations which were the Best Collaboration with Justin Bieber and Wizkid, Best International Act and Best New Artist. She won the “Best Collaboration and Best International Act” categories.
Some top Nigerian songs which captivated the music lovers in 2022 include: Buga by Kizz Daniel ft Tekno which became the first song to hit 100 million streams on Boomplay, it hit its first million within 24 hours after its release, it set a new record for the biggest streaming week ever, raking in 11.4 million streams in a week and 47.5 million radio streams debuting at Number 2 on radio. The song enjoyed domestic and international acceptance making it the most shazamed song worldwide and the most googled song in Nigeria.
Buga kept Kizz Daniel on Spotify’s top artiste chart for 13 consecutive weeks after its release. In the recently announced All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) 2022 nominations list, Kizz Daniel gained 5 nominations for his effort in “Buga” including Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, Song of the Year, Artiste of the Year, Best African Collaboration, and Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Pop.
Another top Nigerian song is Burna Boy’s Last Last, a sample of Toni Braxton’s 2000 single “He wasn’t man enough”. It is the most streamed African song on Spotify with over 145 million streams and among the top 100 songs on Apple Music globally in 2022.
Other top Nigerian songs in 2022 are: Overloading by Mavin All Stars, Asake’s Terminator, Joha, Peace be unto you, Palazzo by Asake ft DJ Spinall, Bandana by Asake ft Fireboy DML, Oxlade’s Ku Lo Sa and Crayon’s Ijo Laba Laba.
Despite the challenges faced by entertainment industry, ranging from Financing, Taxation, Distribution and Marketing Channels, Copyrights infringements and Piracy, it achieved significant growth in 2022 and is the fastest growing industry in the world. The Nigerian entertainment industry still holds the second largest market globally as no stone was left unturned in the year 2022.
By: Jacob Obinna & Nancy Briggs
The family of veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, has dismissed viral rumours circulating on social media claiming that the film icon is dead.
Reacting to the reports in a video shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday, the actor’s eldest son, Leo Edochie, described the claim as false and malicious.
“I’ve been receiving text messages and calls over the nonsense post by some people that our father, Chief Pete Edochie, is dead. It is a lie from the pit of hell,” he said.
Leo added that the actor is alive and in good health, condemning those responsible for spreading the rumour.
“Our father is alive, hale and hearty. And if you wish someone dead, two things usually happen. The person will live very long and you will die before him. Shame to all of you,” he said.
The rumour had sparked concern among fans before the family’s clarification.
Nollywood veteran actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is making her directorial debut with a different and sharper focus. Speaking recently with Newsmen,, the screen icon highlighted a glaring void in the industry’s catalogue, which is the authentic reality of mother-daughter relationships.
“We don’t have too many films that explore or showcase the relationship between mothers and daughters,” Omotola said during the interview, describing the subject as something deeply personal to her.
Speaking honestly about raising her first daughter, she admitted she had only one mode at the time, which was discipline. “I didn’t do a good job,” she said plainly, explaining that she understood motherhood strictly through control, not softness or emotional openness.
At the centre of Mother’s Love is Adebisi, a sheltered young woman from a wealthy home whose life is shaped by her father’s rigid control. Her first taste of freedom comes through NYSC, where distance from home allows her to begin discovering who she is outside her family’s expectations. She forms a friendship with a young man from a more modest background, and through him, starts to see the world and herself differently.
But the emotional core of the film isn’t Adebisi’s rebellion. It’s her mother. Long after being presented as quiet and compliant, she slowly reveals a resolve when her daughter’s safety and future are threatened. As secrets surface and buried grief comes into view, Mother’s Love becomes less about youthful independence and more about maternal sacrifice, unspoken trauma, and the emotional costs of survival inside a patriarchal home.
The Tide Entertainment reports that the film doesn’t shy away from weighty themes by including PTSD, unresolved grief, and social inequality at the centre of the story. It is far removed from the soft-focus sentimentality that often defines Mother’s Day-style narratives.
It also marks Omotola’s directorial debut, a significant moment considering how long she has shaped Nollywood from the front of the camera. She stars in the film alongside a mix of familiar faces and newer talent, including Ifeanyi Kalu, Olumide Oworu, and Noray Nehita.
Beyond the film itself, Omotola’s interview touched on a tension that has been simmering in Nollywood for a while now: how movies are marketed in the age of TikTok. Addressing the growing expectation for actors and filmmakers to create viral dance content to promote their work, she didn’t mince words. The pressure, she said, is exhausting and unnatural.
For her, the industry wasn’t meant to function this way. Still, she was careful not to judge anyone else’s approach. Everyone invests differently, carries different risks, and should be allowed to promote their films however they see fit.
“Do whatever you can do. It’s exhausting, it’s not natural. For me, the film industry is not supposed to be like that. We are encouraging nonsense if we are doing that. It doesn’t mean that whoever is doing it is wrong.”
Her comments arrive not long after the public back-and-forth between Kunle Afolayan and Funke Akindele over marketing styles, a debate that quickly turned into a proxy war between prestige storytelling and viral strategy. Omotola’s stance sits somewhere calmer. She understands the shift social media has brought, but she’s also clear about her own boundaries.
Omotola’s critique about the lack of mother-daughter stories isn’t unfounded. In Nollywood, mothers often exist as symbols rather than people. They’re either saintly figures who pray endlessly for their children or villains whose cruelty drives the plot forward. What’s missing is intimacy, the negotiations, and the regrets. The love that exists alongside resentment and misunderstanding.
Films rarely sit with the emotional complexity of women raising daughters in systems that also failed them. There’s little room for mothers who made mistakes but are still trying, or daughters who love their mothers while questioning the damage they inherited. Mother’s Love attempts to occupy that space, offering a more grounded portrayal that reflects lived experience rather than archetypes.
That’s where the film’s potential impact lies, in the decision to centre a relationship that Nollywood has largely flattened. If it works, it could open the door for more stories that treat motherhood as a lived, evolving reality rather than a fixed moral position.
Mother’s Love, directed by and starring Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. The film is set for a nationwide cinema release in Nigeria on March 6, 2026.
Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes becomes Nollywood’s highest-grossing film of 2025, earning ?1.77bn in under four weeks.
Multi-award-winning actress and producer Funke Akindele has done it again, and this time, the numbers speak louder than applause.
Her latest film, Behind The Scenes, has officially emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood film of 2025, pulling in an astonishing ?1.767 billion in less than four weeks.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Funke Akindele Makes Box Office History as Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn
Earlier in its release cycle, the film’s distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, revealed that Behind The Scenes smashed five opening-weekend records, including the highest single-day gross ever recorded on Boxing Day, with ?129.5 million in one day. That announcement already hinted that something unusual was unfolding.
Reacting to the milestone, FilmOne described the moment as both surreal and communal, crediting audience loyalty for pushing the film to the top spot once again as the number-one movie of the weekend. And that sentiment feels accurate. This wasn’t just ticket sales; it was momentum.
What makes this achievement even more striking is that Behind The Scenes is Funke Akindele’s third film to cross the ?1 billion mark. Before now, there was A Tribe Called Judah, and then Everybody Loves Jenifa, a film that didn’t just open big, but went on to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. At this point, it’s no longer a fluke. It’s a pattern.
Part of Behind The Scenes’ success lies in strategy. The film enjoyed advanced screenings on December 10 and 11, quietly building curiosity and conversation before its nationwide release on December 12. By the time it officially hit cinemas, audiences already felt like they needed to see it.
Then there’s the cast. The film brings together a lineup that feels deliberately stacked: Scarlet Gomez, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, and several others. Familiar faces, strong fan bases, and performances that kept word-of-mouth alive long after opening weekend.
Still, beyond timing and casting, there’s something else at work here. Funke Akindele understands Nigerian audiences. Their humour, their pacing, their emotional buttons. She doesn’t guess, she calculates, experiments, listens, and refines. That understanding has slowly turned into box-office dominance.
Behind The Scenes crossing ?1.77 billion isn’t just another headline; it’s confirmation. Funke Akindele has moved from being a successful actress to becoming one of the most reliable commercial forces Nollywood has ever produced. Three-billion-naira films don’t happen by luck. They happen when storytelling, business sense, and audience trust align.
And right now, that alignment seems firmly in her hands.
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