“Iyalode” Shines, Grosses Nearly ₦200 Million After Two Weeks Despite Foreign Competition

The Story⚡

Toyin Abraham’s Iyalode stormed into cinemas during the Id El Kabir and Democracy Day holiday week, pulling off an impressive debut. Continue reading to see how far this film has gone.

Tell Me More

Iyalode is an epic Yoruba title that tells the story of Asabi Onile, a fearless woman warrior on a mission for justice and redemption in the village of Kulende. Amid power, tradition, and betrayal, she must fight to reclaim her destiny.

Directed by Adebayo Tijani and starring Toyin Abraham, Muyiwa Ademola, Kareem Adepoju, Kola Ajeyemi, Gabriel Afolayan, Ibrahim Chatta, Kehinde Bankole, among many others, the film was released in cinemas on June 6, 2025, which coincided with the Id El Kabir holiday.

On its first day (Id El Kabir), the film opened with ₦17.2 million, followed by ₦25.94 million on the second day and ₦37.97 million on the third day, totaling ₦81.54 million in its first weekend.

On the fourth day, the film earned ₦22.66 million; ₦9.54 million on the fifth day; ₦8.68 million on the sixth day; and ₦14.95 million on the final day of the week. For its opening week, the film grossed a total of ₦137.41 million.

Day 1 (Id El Kabir) — ₦17.2 million
Day 2 — ₦25.94 million
Day 3 — ₦37.97 million (₦81.54 million opening weekend)
Day 4 — ₦22.66 million
Day 5 — ₦9.54 million
Day 6 — ₦8.68 million
Day 7 (Democracy Day) — ₦14.95 million
Week One — ₦137.41 million

By its second week, the title made ₦43.02 million over the weekend and ₦61.59 million in the full week. After two weeks, the film has grossed a total of ₦199.95 million and has maintained the number one spot on the box office leaderboard since its debut.

At this pace, Iyalode is on track to become the highest-grossing Nollywood title of 2025—a position currently held by Muyiwa Ademola’s Ori: The Rebirth.

Top 5 Movies Last Weekend

Here is a list of the films that featured in the top five slots on the weekend box office leaderboard:

5. How To Train Your Dragon

The American fantasy film is a live-action adaptation of the 2010 animated classic, which itself was inspired by Cressida Cowell’s 2003 novel. Written and directed by Dean DeBlois and produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film features a star-studded cast including Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Peter Serafinowicz, and Nick Frost. Gerard Butler reprises his iconic role as Stoick the Vast from the original animated franchise.

4. Red Circle

Released in the same week as Iyalode, this Akay Mason-directed film debuted with a strong opening weekend of ₦25.32 million, closing its first week at ₦43.17 million and ending with a total gross of ₦44.38 million. In its most recent week, the film added another ₦27.84 million, bringing its cumulative gross to ₦73.30 million.

3. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
In its fourth week, the film pulled in ₦32.71 million, with ₦21.57 million earned over the weekend alone. This brings its total earnings so far to an impressive ₦319.94 million.

2. Ballerina
The American action-thriller, written by Shay Hatten and directed by Len Wiseman, debuted at the Nigerian box office on June 6, 2025. It opened with ₦47.44 million in its first weekend and closed its opening week with ₦83.88 million. In its second weekend, it added ₦34.48 million, finishing the full week at ₦54.87 million. So far, the film has grossed a total of ₦138.98 million.

1. Iyalode
The Yoruba-language epic led the chart with a powerful ₦81.54 million weekend debut and a full-week gross of ₦137.41 million.

In Summary

Iyalode is set to expand its reach with a cinema debut in select Canadian theatres on June 27, 2025.

With a two-week haul nearing ₦200 million, the film is off to a remarkable start. Yet, one question remains: can Toyin Abraham outdo the phenomenal success of Alakada: Bad and Boujee, which earned ₦500.58 million and holds the title of the fifth highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time? Only time—and the box office—will tell.