Nollywood (industry note, not a company) — Companies

Why it is on record

By output volume, the world's second-largest film industry (documented UNESCO/PwC studies) — included as an industry-of-record note; individual studios do not yet meet single-company criteria.

Record held

Second-largest film industry globally by volume.

Deep dive

Nollywood is not a single company but an industry — recorded here because its institutional and capital architecture is now corporate. The 1992 release of Living in Bondage (NEK Video Links / Kenneth Nnebue) is conventionally dated as the founding event. By output, Nollywood is the second-largest film industry in the world (after Bollywood). Through the 2010s the centre of gravity shifted from direct-to-VHS/VCD distribution to theatrical release, streaming licensing (Netflix, Prime Video), and integrated studios (EbonyLife, FilmOne, Inkblot, Anthill).

The 2015 The Wedding Party (FilmOne / EbonyLife / Inkblot), the 2018 Lionheart (Genevieve Nnaji, Netflix-distributed), the 2023 Anikulapo (Kunle Afolayan, Netflix), and the 2024 Everybody Loves Jenifa (Funke Akindele) collectively mark the transition of Nollywood into globally distributed scripted entertainment with measurable balance-of-payments significance.