The revival of Mount Zion Faith Ministries’ 1990s classic has proved magnetic. Agbara Nla: The Return opened nationwide in Nigeria on October 1, 2026, directed by Damilola Mike‑Bamiloye and Joshua Mike‑Bamiloye, with the movement’s founder, Mike Bamiloye, reprising his role as the sorcerer Isawuru. It drew packed houses and, in some screenings, a church‑like fervor, as videos showed audiences praying and singing while the film rolled. At the box office, the remake posted more than ₦71 million from 12,134 preview admissions and then surged to roughly ₦170.6 million across its preview sessions and first weekend, a landmark for a faith‑based Nollywood release. The question now shadowing the film’s success is not whether it entertains, but whether some of its most memorable moments square with Scripture. citeturn1search8turn9view0turn6search5
The story of missionaries confronting occult power is familiar terrain for Mount Zion, and the new production benefits from a modern polish. Yet several Christian reviewers argue the film sometimes crosses theological lines. They point to a subplot in which a professing believer appears demon‑possessed, to comic riffs on glossolalia that sound like babble without interpretation, and to scenes where Christians are terrorised by disembodied voices. These choices, critics say, sit uneasily beside New Testament teaching that public tongues should be intelligible through interpretation and that believers are given a spirit of power and soundness of mind, not fear. The film’s craftsmanship is widely praised, but the concern is catechetical clarity: can a drama meant to embolden faith inadvertently muddle doctrine for its youngest viewers. citeturn6search2turn10search5turn10search10
Mount Zion’s principals have engaged parts of the controversy. In June, gospel singer and filmmaker Joshua Mike‑Bamiloye rejected claims that the ministry’s films demonise Yoruba culture. “MZ doesn’t demonize Yoruba culture. It celebrates it; the colors, the language, the proverbs, the royalty,” he wrote, adding that the films frame their conflict as “Light vs Darkness” rather than culture versus faith. He also urged audiences to watch the work before passing judgment. “The name of Jesus is still above every other name, in 1993 and in 2026,” he said as the cinema rollout began. For now, the record‑setting run suggests an underserved audience has found its film. Whether the sequel’s theological rough edges will be sanded in future cuts, or will instead fuel richer conversations about dramatizing spiritual warfare without caricature, is the debate that will outlast the applause. citeturn8view0turn11view0
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