“The Herd” Charges Beyond the Box Office- From Nigerian Cinemas to Netflix Charts

The Herd

In October 2025, Daniel Etim Effiong made his directorial debut with The Herd, a smartly tense thriller rooted in Nigerian reality. The story: a wedding party ambushed on their way back to the hotel by kidnappers disguised as cattle herders. A film about survival, betrayal, and societal fractures.

Strong Theatrical Launch

• Released 17 October 2025 in Nigerian cinemas.

• Debuted with approximately ₦30.1 million after three days.

• By its 10th day, box office hit around ₦80 million.

• Within four weeks it reached ₦188 million, nearing the ₦200 million milestone.

  
  

This run places The Herd among the stronger Nollywood theatrical performances of 2025, showing that local audiences are still turning out for high-quality homegrown thrillers.

Netflix Arrival & Streaming Momentum

• The film premiered on Netflix (Nigeria) 21 November 2025.

• According to reports, it gathered “over 30 million views” in the days following release.

• The Netflix listing confirms presence in the Nigerian catalogue and indicates a global streaming window.

  
  

Though concrete data on other countries’ rankings is limited at this moment, the early global streaming release positions The Herd in a strong export move for Nollywood. The combination of a successful theatrical run + rapid OTT release is quickly becoming a blueprint for modern African film creators.

Within days of its release, the film began appearing prominently in Netflix rankings across other African territories, particularly:

• Nigeria – Consistent #1 placement

• Kenya – Regularly in the Top 3

• South Africa – Climbing through the Top 5 category

Cultural & Industry Resonance

The Herd’s relevance stems from its reflection of Nigeria’s current insecurity challenges — a point noted in several critical reviews. One critic wrote:

“The Herd isn’t fiction anymore — it’s Nigeria’s present.”

That resonance fuels word-of-mouth, social media bursts, and demand across diasporic African viewers who recognize the themes.

What Creators Should Note

A strong theatrical foundation can amplify streaming success.

• Local stories with universal stakes (kidnapping, survival, family) travel.

• Timely OTT release helps ride the conversation wave- The Herd moved to Netflix within a month of its cinema launch.

• Streaming metrics (30 m+ views early) can replace traditional box office as the key export indicator.

• Global platform presence = increased visibility for cast, creative team and the Nigerian film industry at large.