10 movies to watch in Nigeria this week, led by Street Fighter

Street Fighter lands in Nigerian cinemas on Friday, 16 October, and it heads our movies to watch in Nigeria this week. The same day brings First Lady, the only new Nollywood title on the cinema calendar, while Ben Affleck’s kidnap thriller Animals is already on Netflix.

The old guard still owns the screens, though. When GistMatrix checked Cinephiles.ng on the morning of Monday, 12 October, Agbara Nla: The Return had 321 upcoming showtimes across 25 cinemas. Nothing else on the site came close.

This is an editorial ranking, not an official chart. We weighed what is new, what people are talking about and, most of all, whether you can actually watch it in Nigeria this week.

How did we pick this week’s movies to watch in Nigeria?

Every cinema pick was checked against Nigerian listings on Cinephiles.ng on Monday morning, and the streaming pick against Netflix’s own release information as reported by What’s on Netflix. The two Friday openers had not posted full showtimes at the time of our check, and we say where that matters.

No new Bollywood or Asian title had Nigerian showtimes on our check. The nearest thing is Indian action star Vidyut Jammwal, who plays Dhalsim in Street Fighter.

The 10 movies to watch this week

1. Street Fighter (Hollywood, action)

Ryu and Ken finally get their live-action rematch. Kitao Sakurai’s adaptation of the Capcom game is set in 1993. Estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are pulled into a world tournament by Chun-Li (Callina Liang), and a conspiracy is waiting behind it.

Why it ranks: It is the biggest new cinema release of the week, and the cast is loud: Jason Momoa as Blanka, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, Cody Rhodes as Guile and Roman Reigns as Akuma.

Where to watch in Nigeria: In cinemas from Friday, 16 October. On our check, Filmhouse Lekki IMAX had the first listed show, at 6pm; other cinemas had not posted times yet.

2. First Lady (Nollywood, political drama)

A Lagos First Lady, a risky pregnancy and a marriage on the line. Adunola, the First Lady of Lagos State, wants a child badly enough to risk a dangerous pregnancy, and her marriage and her husband’s political standing start to crack. What Kept Me Up lists Fehintola Olulana, Desmond Elliot, Ibrahim Suleiman, Ngozi Nwosu and Jaiye Kuti in the cast.

Why it ranks: It is the one new Nollywood cinema release this week, and a political story with a real Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, in the cast.

Where to watch in Nigeria: Cinemas. Cinephiles.ng lists Friday, 16 October; What Kept Me Up gives Sunday, 18 October. No showtimes were up on Monday, so check your cinema before you go.

3. Animals (Netflix, thriller)

Ben Affleck directs, co-writes and stars in a ransom nightmare. A Los Angeles mayoral candidate’s son is kidnapped, and he and his wife (Kerry Washington) are pulled into a scramble for ransom money. Gillian Anderson plays a fixer and Steven Yeun the campaign manager.

Why it ranks: It is the week’s big streaming title, out since Friday, 9 October.

Where to watch in Nigeria: Netflix, which released it globally on 9 October, according to What’s on Netflix. Rated R.

4. Agbara Nla: The Return (Nollywood, faith drama)

Mount Zion’s 1993 classic is still filling halls. Mike Bamiloye returns in the remake of the spiritual-warfare film, directed by Damilola Mike-Bamiloye and Joshua Mike-Bamiloye.

Why it ranks: It made ₦170.6m from preview screenings and its opening weekend, the best Nollywood opening outside December, Nairametrics reported on 5 October, and it has the most showtimes in the country.

Where to watch in Nigeria: Cinemas nationwide (25 cinemas on our check). Rated 12.

5. Black Market (Nollywood, crime thriller)

The Guinness-record movie is now in regular cinemas. Fatimah Binta Gimsay’s thriller follows people pushed into underground deals by money pressure. Lateef Adedimeji, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman and Ibrahim Yekini, known as Itele, lead the cast.

Why it ranks: Its open-air screening at Tafawa Balewa Square on 26 September set a Guinness World Record. Now it has to sell tickets the normal way.

Where to watch in Nigeria: 32 cinemas and 258 showtimes on our check, most of them in Lagos. Rated 18.

6. MKO (Nollywood, documentary)

June 12 on the big screen. The documentary follows Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola from business to the 1993 presidential election, his detention and his death in 1998.

Why it ranks: It tells one of the defining stories of modern Nigerian politics, and it premiered in Lagos with President Bola Tinubu in attendance before opening on 2 October.

Where to watch in Nigeria: 14 cinemas and 113 showtimes on our check, with Abuja carrying the most. Rated PG.

7. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Hollywood, superhero)

The Nigerian box-office giant of 2026 is still swinging. Destin Daniel Cretton directs Tom Holland as a forgotten Peter Parker working alone as Spider-Man until a new enemy appears.

Why it ranks: It has taken ₦2.378bn in Nigeria, according to the weekend chart BusinessDay published on 9 October, and it still had 187 showtimes in 31 cinemas on Monday.

Where to watch in Nigeria: Cinemas nationwide. Rated 12.

8. Verity (Hollywood, thriller)

A ghostwriter finds the one manuscript she should never have read. Dakota Johnson plays a writer hired to finish a famous novelist’s books; Anne Hathaway is the novelist. The film adapts Colleen Hoover’s bestseller.

Why it ranks: It opened to about $32m in the US, according to Boxoffice Pro, and it is all over Nigerian screens too.

Where to watch in Nigeria: 30 cinemas and 168 showtimes on our check. Rated 15.

9. King Kosoko (Nollywood, historical epic)

A fight for the Lagos throne, 1800s style. Femi Adebayo plays Oba Kosoko and Odunlade Adekola plays Oba Akintoye in a story of a sidelined prince who builds his wealth and waits for his moment.

Why it ranks: It opened on 28 August and is now down to its last screens. If you want it on a big screen, this may be the week.

Where to watch in Nigeria: Four cinemas and 14 showtimes on our check, including Filmhouse Circle Mall, Lagos. Rated G.

10. The Odyssey (Hollywood, epic)

Christopher Nolan takes Homer home. Matt Damon is Odysseus, the king of Ithaca fighting his way home after the Trojan War.

Why it ranks: Three months after release it is still on Nigerian screens, a rare run for a film of nearly three hours.

Where to watch in Nigeria: Four cinemas and 23 showtimes on our check, including Viva Cinemas Ilorin. Rated 15.

What do the numbers say?

Agbara Nla: The Return took ₦170.58m from previews and its opening weekend, while Black Market took ₦19.92m by the same weekend, according to the chart BusinessDay published on Friday, 9 October. That is a gap of more than eight times, even though Black Market had drawn a record crowd of about 51,000 a week earlier.

Showtimes tell the same story. On our Monday check, Agbara Nla had 321, Black Market 258, Spider-Man: Brand New Day 187 and Verity 168. The faith-drama remake has more screenings than the Marvel film that has made ₦2.378bn.

What happens next

Street Fighter opens on Friday, 16 October, alongside First Lady. A week later, on Friday, 23 October, A Land Apart with Richard Mofe-Damijo and Akay Mason’s No Fury with Nse Ikpe-Etim and Jim Iyke reach cinemas.

FAQ

What new movies are in Nigerian cinemas this week?
Street Fighter and the Nollywood drama First Lady are the new cinema titles, both dated Friday, 16 October, on Cinephiles.ng.

Is Street Fighter showing in Nigeria?
Yes. Filmhouse Lekki IMAX listed a 6pm show on Friday, 16 October, when GistMatrix checked on Monday, 12 October; more cinemas usually post times during the week.

Where can I watch Animals in Nigeria?
On Netflix. Ben Affleck’s thriller was released globally on Friday, 9 October.

Which one are you watching first? Tell us in the comments.

Read next: Last week’s 10 movies to watch in Nigeria · Agbara Nla box office hits ₦170.6m · MKO documentary premieres in Lagos with Tinubu