Nollywood actor and filmmaker Daniel Etim-Effiong has made a outstanding entry into movie directing, as his debut characteristic, The Herd, grossed N30.1 million in its opening weekend on the Nigerian field workplace.
In line with knowledge from the Nigerian Field Workplace, the crime thriller recorded N28.8 million between October 17 and 19, 2025, and a cumulative N30.1 million in its first week of launch. This makes it one of many strongest debuts for a Nollywood title within the second half of 2025, solidifying Etim-Effiong’s transition from in entrance of the digicam to behind it.
Co-produced by FilmOne Studios, ToriTori Movies, Serendipity HHC, and Airscape, The Herd is a stirring exploration of affection, household, and generational change set in South West Nigeria. It combines parts of crime and psychological drama, providing audiences a layered story that displays the evolving themes of recent Nigerian cinema.
Earlier than its nationwide launch, The Herd generated important trade buzz by means of a sequence of high-profile promotional occasions. These included an unique dinner hosted in collaboration with Filmhouse Group, That Good Media, Nigerian Worldwide Movie Summit (NIFS), and Legend Lodge. The red-carpet Lagos premiere drew distinguished Nollywood personalities reminiscent of Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Kate Henshaw, Kunle Remi, and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, alongside producers, distributors, and cultural tastemakers.
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Earlier in Could 2025, a shorter model of the movie was screened on the Marché du Movie throughout the Cannes Movie Competition, marking an early milestone in its journey to worldwide recognition. Etim-Effiong additionally featured on a panel titled “The Nollywood Conversations: A Deep Dive into Alternatives to Current African Tales for International Screens,” hosted by FilmOne Leisure in partnership with NIFS. The dialogue spotlighted Nollywood’s rising world presence and the inventive alternatives rising for African filmmakers on worldwide platforms.
With a powerful home opening and prior publicity at Cannes, The Herd represents a defining second in Nollywood’s ongoing evolution, balancing native storytelling with world cinematic requirements. Its field workplace efficiency additionally continues the upward trajectory seen in 2025 with hits like Gingerrr, Ori: The rebirth and others, all of which have strengthened the trade’s business standing.
As The Herd continues its theatrical run, early figures recommend it may grow to be one of many 12 months’s standout Nollywood releases, additional cementing Daniel Etim-Effiong’s repute as one of many trade’s most versatile inventive forces.
About Daniel Etim-Effiong
Daniel Etim-Effiong is a Nigerian actor, director, and filmmaker identified for his versatility and compelling display screen presence. He studied chemical engineering on the University of Lagos earlier than transitioning into inventive arts.
After a quick profession within the oil and fuel sector, he pursued formal movie coaching at AFDA Movie School in Cape City, South Africa, the place he honed his abilities in directing, screenwriting, and manufacturing.
Etim-Effiong formally started his skilled performing profession in 2013, debuting within the NdaniTV net sequence Gidi Up, the place he gained widespread recognition for his function as Folarin. His breakout efficiency within the sequence helped set up him as one of many faces of Nigeria’s rising new wave of display screen skills.
Through the years, he has featured in a various vary of tasks spanning movie, tv, and net productions. His credit embrace “Skinny Woman in Transit,” “The Males’s Membership,” “Plan B,” “From Lagos with Love,” “Fishbone,” “A Soldier’s Story II,” “Chief Daddy,” “Oloture,” and “The Wedding ceremony Party.” Recognized for his means to embody advanced characters with emotional depth, Etim-Effiong has grow to be one among Nollywood’s most bankable and revered actors, even on Nollywood YouTube.
Past performing, he has additionally constructed a powerful repute behind the digicam. As a producer and storyteller, he’s deeply dedicated to creating genuine African narratives that resonate each regionally and internationally. His manufacturing credit embrace quick movies and branded content material tasks underneath his media outfit, ToriTori, which focuses on storytelling for social affect.
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