Mike Bamiloye's Agbara Nla Returns After 33 Years, Smashes Faith-Based Box Office Record With N170.6m

Thirty-three years after it first reached audiences, Mike Bamiloye's Agbara Nla has returned to cinemas and wasted no time rewriting the record books, grossing N170.6 million at the Nigerian box office in just four days.

Film distributor Nile Group announced the figure on Monday, declaring the film's opening the biggest ever recorded for a faith-based title in the country and a defining moment for the genre.

"The revival is here. The power is moving. Agbara Nla The Return opened with N170.6m+. It can only be God," the company said in a statement.

According to the distributor, the film's opening weekend set three records. It is the biggest non-December opening weekend in Nollywood history, the biggest October opening weekend of all time and the biggest opening weekend ever for a faith-based film in Nigeria.

The new film brings back the veteran filmmaker in his signature role as Isawuru, the feared herbalist at the centre of the story. It was directed by Damilola Mike-Bamiloye and Joshua Mike-Bamiloye and produced by Mount Zion Film Productions in collaboration with Circuits and Sozo Films.

Set in Muwonleru, a village under the influence of Isawuru, the film follows two Christians, Olaboye and Olatomi, who leave the city to evangelise the community.

Nile Group thanked audiences for turning out in large numbers, citing "packed cinemas, SOLD-OUT shows and incredible love" across the country. It said the film's significance goes beyond ticket sales, describing it as an opportunity for viewers to experience "a revival of faith, power and transformation on the big screen."

The opening followed an equally striking preview run. Nigerian Box Office, a box-office analysis and consultancy platform, reported that the film earned about N70 million from 12,134 admissions between September 25 and October 1, ahead of its official release. Other reports put the preview gross at about N71 million.

The platform described the result as the biggest single-day preview gross ever recorded in West Africa. It also said the admissions were the highest first-day figure of 2026, while the gross was the biggest first-day take for a Nollywood title and the biggest single-day gross for October.

The numbers were posted in a crowded market. The film opened against Black Market, while Star Lomo and Avengers Endgame Encore continued their runs and Spider-Man Brand New Day remained among the titles on offer.

Despite the competition, the N170.6 million opening trails only Everybody Loves Jenifa and Behind the Scene on a list of Nollywood's biggest opening weekends supplied by Nile Group. It places the film ahead of A Tribe Called Judah and Love and New Notes on the same list.

Agbara Nla The Return is currently showing in cinemas nationwide.