10 highest-grossing Nollywood movies of the decade

The Nigerian movie industry has produced several hit films over the last decade — bridging the gap between quality and revenue generation.

From ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ to ‘Wedding Party’, the movie industry has continued to churn out projects that have been shattering existing records and charting a new course for the sector which seeks to increase its global prominence.

TheCable Lifestyle examines the 10 highest-grossing movies of the last decade.

‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’

‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga‘, a 2020 film co-director by Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz, her husband, can’t stop breaking records.

Barely a few days after becoming Nigeria’s first film to hit the cinemas in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), it emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time.

The film, released on December 25, 2020, has raked in N468,036,300 to overtake ‘The Wedding Party’ — which previously held the record for four years with N453 million.

The project is a sequel to ‘Omo Ghetto’, a 2010 Nigerian drama film.

‘The Wedding Party’

‘The Wedding Party 1’, a romantic comedy-drama directed by Kemi Adetiba, will remain evergreen in the minds of many movie lovers for years to come.

Released in December 2016, the movie has continued to pull the strings, snagging numerous recognitions as well as awards. It is currently the second on the list of highest-grossing Nollywood movies with N453,000,000.

Last year, the movie was named the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of the decade — between 2010 and 2019.

‘The Wedding Party 2’

Just like its original version, the ‘The Wedding Party’ sequel enjoyed a remarkable run after its release in 2017.

The movie, directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, sits on the third spot with N433,197,377 as the country’s third highest-grossing movie of all time.

Chief Daddy

‘Chief Daddy‘, a 2018 movie by Mo Abudu, EbonyLife TV founder, has also secured a spot on the list of the highest-grossing Nollywood movies of the decade.

The star-studded movie, which tells the story of a billionaire industrialist and his extended family of relatives, household staff and assorted mistresses, has raked in N387,540,749 since its release.

Among the movie stars that featured in the project include Bisola Aiyeola, Funke Akindele, Zainab Balogun, Shaffi Bello, Lepacious Bose, Ini Edo, Dakore Egbuson, and Linda Ejiofor.

‘Sugar Rush’

‘Sugar Rush‘, a 2019 movie by Jade Osiberu, is yet another project that resonated with many Nigerian movie enthusiasts and dominated charts.

The movie, which stars Omoni Oboli, Toke Makinwa, Mama Rainbow and Zack Orji, currently ranks fifth on the list of the highest-grossing films, having raked in N287,053,270.

‘King of Boys’

Following the heroics of ‘Wedding Party’, Kemi Adetiba once again returned with ‘King of Boys‘, a political thriller, which premiered in 2018.

The movie received widespread acceptance among film lovers both locally and in the diaspora and was enlisted among the Nigerian movies screened for the second edition of the Nollywood in Hollywood film showcase, which held in California.

It has so far grossed N244,775,758 and remains the fifth on the list of the highest-grossing movies of the last decade.

‘Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons’ 

Another movie that will dominate discussions for long is ‘Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons,’ a 2018 hit movie.

The action-thriller, which featured several movie heavyweights including Ramsey Nouah, Falz, Jim Iyke and AY, also secured a spot on the list of the highest-grossing movies with N235,628,358.

‘Merry Men 2: Another Mission’

Like its first part, ‘Merry Men’ sequel enjoyed a remarkable run after its release.

The action-comedy thriller, released in 2019, has so far raked in N233,958,963 to remain eight on the list of the highest-grossing Nollywood films of the decade.

‘Your Excellency’ 

You probably have seen ‘Your Excellency’, a 2019 film by Mo Abudu, if you’re a movie freak.

The movie, which marked Funke Akindele’s directorial debut, snagged numerous recognitions.

It has raked in N186,340,948 to occupy the ninth spot on the list of highest-grossing Nollywood films of the last decade.

‘A Trip To Jamaica’

‘A Trip To Jamaica’, a 2016 drama-comedy film directed by Robert Peters, is another project that excited film lovers.

The project has secured N180,264,964 in the box office to emerge as the 10th highest-grossing Nollywood film in the last decade.

Among movie stars in the project include starring Ayo Makun, Funke Akindele, Nse Ikpe Etim and Dan Davies.