The Story⚡
While December and Easter dominate release calendars, the shifting Ileya window has long been overlooked. This year’s Eid-el-Kabir holiday delivered a clear answer: 185 million naira across two days, and a noticeable jump from 2025.
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Every year, Nollywood filmmakers focus intently on the December and Easter periods. The Ileya window receives less consistent attention, partly because the date shifts with the Islamic lunar calendar. This variability complicates release planning from one year to the next.
In episode three of Box Office Radio, hosts Akintunde Damilare and Aondofa Shija examined the window in detail using year-by-year data. Box Office Radio reviewed the 2026 Ileya period, which fell on May 27 and 28 and coincided with Children’s Day. Total revenue reached 185 million naira, with 91 million naira on the first day and 94 million naira on the second. This compares to 145 million naira in 2025, which occurred on a Friday and a Monday. The year-on-year gain of 40 million naira indicates measurable growth in audience turnout during this holiday window.
Box Office Radio’s analysis of top performers showed a notable shift in audience choices. Call of My Life ranked first, earning 177.8 million naira in its second weekend, a 40 percent increase from its opening weekend of 127 million naira. The film generated 94.3 million naira over the Ileya weekend alone. Its performance as a romantic comedy stood out because many expected a Muslim-themed title to dominate the Ileya frame.
Michael placed second with 80.2 million naira in its fifth week, including 38.3 million naira during the Ileya period. Its cumulative total reached 678.5 million naira, positioning it among the top 10 highest-grossing Nigerian films. The sustained run demonstrates that biographical titles can deliver revenue well beyond opening weeks when supported by consistent exhibitor placement.
Mortal Kombat held third with 39.9 million naira in its third full week and 19.5 million naira over the Ileya weekend, bringing its total to 193.7 million naira. The Boy Who Gave took fourth with 22.6 million naira in its second weekend, and Okanjuwa entered fifth with 22.1 million naira in its first full week after releasing on May 22.
The 2025 Ileya window featured a different lineup, led by Iyalode with a cumulative 104 million naira by the holiday Monday. Other titles included Ori: The Rebirth, Red Circle, Mission Impossible, and Ballerina. The contrast between the two years, as discussed on Box Office Radio, highlights how audience preferences and release timing influence outcomes in this movable window.
Additional observations from the data include the benefit of long-tail performance. Both Michael and Mortal Kombat continued earning in later weeks, providing exhibitors with stable revenue alongside new releases. The overlap with Children’s Day likely increased family attendance and contributed to the even split between the two holidays.
Looking ahead, one major title is already positioned for the tentative late-May 2026 Ileya corridor. The discussion on Box Office Radio emphasized the need for distributors to evaluate genre fit, cast strength, and calendar alignment when targeting this period rather than treating it as secondary to December or Easter.
Listen to the full podcast here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/38a9vaWAovExscnllMfL2I?si=tEP6uoGYSi6zHcq8oW9SLA
In Summary
Listen to the full episode of Box Office Radio on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for a complete year-by-year breakdown and in-depth verdict on whether Nollywood is leaving money on the table with the Ileya window.
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