Nigeria’s cinema industry experienced a slowdown in September 2025, closing the month with just over ₦900 million in box office revenue. This marks the second-lowest monthly total of the year. Although the figure surpassed early projections of ₦750 million to ₦800 million, it still reflects the seasonal volatility of the market. Distributors are now looking to October with hopes of reviving the billion-naira streak that defined earlier months.
The September lineup was expected to underperform due to a relatively quiet release schedule. However, two international titles—Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and The Conjuring: Last Rites—delivered strong performances that helped lift overall earnings. These imported films drove admissions and compensated for the softer turnout of local productions.
Compared to previous months, September’s performance was a clear dip. In August, cinemas recorded ₦1.1 billion from 192,314 admissions, while July saw a robust ₦1.23 billion with 208,435 tickets sold. Those months benefited from blockbuster releases like Fantastic Four and Superman, which dominated screens and sustained momentum. September, by contrast, leaned heavily on horror, anime, and smaller domestic films, lacking the kind of crossover hit that typically drives higher revenue.
The month’s box office was shaped by three key weekends. From September 5 to 7, The Conjuring: Last Rites opened with ₦31.6 million, setting the tone for horror’s strong run. Fantastic Four, in its seventh week, still managed ₦18.9 million, bringing its cumulative gross to ₦451.6 million. Local hit Abanisete added ₦15.7 million, pushing its lifetime earnings to ₦126.9 million. The weekend of September 12 to 14 saw Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle storm in with ₦82.4 million, the month’s biggest opening. The Conjuring held second place with ₦23.5 million, while Abanisete continued its momentum with ₦9.5 million, crossing the ₦140 million mark. On the final weekend of September, Gingerrr, a local comedy, opened with ₦78.9 million, marking the strongest domestic debut of the month. One Battle After Another followed with ₦15.4 million, while The Conjuring and Demon Slayer added ₦15.1 million and ₦13.3 million respectively.
By the end of the month, Demon Slayer had accumulated ₦154.6 million, The Conjuring reached ₦138.9 million, and Abanisete closed with ₦141.9 million across five weeks. Fantastic Four maintained its position as the year’s top-grossing import, with ₦468.3 million by its eighth week.
With September falling short of the ₦1 billion benchmark, attention now turns to October. Historically a stronger month due to holiday traffic and major premieres, industry players are optimistic that upcoming releases will reignite momentum and restore the billion-naira streak that defined the May-to-August window.
