Most paid actresses in the Nigerian film industry 2023

Genevieve Nnaji is Nigeria's richest actress. As of 2023, her net worth was estimated at 10 million U.S. dollars, equivalent to around 7.9 billion Nigerian naira (NGN). In 2005, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role. Besides acting, she is also a producer and director. The second richest Nollywood actress is Ibinabo Fiberesima, with a net worth of eight million U.S. dollars, which corresponds to around 6.1 billion NGN. Among male actors in Nigeria, Jim Iyke was the wealthiest as of 2020, as his net worth amounted to 30 million U.S. dollars, approximately 23.7 billion NGN, in that year. Jim Iyke (James Ikechukwu Esomugha) was born in Gabon and began his career as an actor in 2001. Some of his most recent movies are Merry Men 2: Another Mission and The Set Up.

Nigerian cinemas and Nollywood

Nigeria had around 80 cinemas as of 2020. The Silverbird Cinema registered the highest number of seats in the country and in anglophone West Africa. The Nigerian film industry released 70 titles in 2020, with Omo Ghetto, a comedy, recording the highest box office revenue. More recently, between March 25 and 27, 2022, The Simple Lie was the local movie that obtained the highest box office income.

The creative industry contributes to economic growth

The arts and entertainment sector contributed over 158 billion NGN to Nigeria’s GDP in 2020. This was equal to approximately 380 million U.S. dollars. Moreover, the Nigerian creative and information industry is a promising actor in the nation’s economy. For instance, movie theaters spread across the country generated a total income that exceeded 900 million NGN in 2020. The states of Imo and Kwara maintained the largest shares of the box office revenue that year.