Uche Montana’s Monica 2 hits over 10m views in 48 hours

Nollywood actress and filmmaker Uche Montana is drawing attention in the industry after her latest release, Monica 2, recorded millions of views within its first day on YouTube, placing it among the fastest-growing Nigerian titles on the platform in recent months.

Data has shown the film reached over 5.6 million views within 24 hours of its release, after debuting on May 2, 2026. Within the first two days, it had already crossed 10 million views and got lots of engagement and reviews from audiences.

The performance builds on the momentum of its prequel, Monica, which crossed 13 million views within two weeks of its March 2026 release. At that pace, the first instalment averaged close to one million views daily in its early run, underlining Montana’s growing base on YouTube.

The early figures for Monica 2 also put it in conversation with other leading Nollywood creators on the platform, including Bimbo Ademoye, whose channel has consistently delivered high-performing titles over the past two years.
Recent films on Ademoye’s YouTube channel show a different pattern of growth. Mirrors and Reflections reached about 9 million views within its first week, after pulling roughly 1.1 million views in its first day. Other titles, such as Where Love Lives and Unexpected Places, have gone on to cross 20 million and 16 million views respectively over time, reflecting sustained audience engagement beyond the opening days.

A direct comparison suggests that while Monica 2 is ahead on first-day performance, it has not yet surpassed the first-week totals typically recorded by Ademoye’s strongest releases. The distinction highlights two different success patterns on YouTube: rapid early spikes versus steady accumulation over several days.

There is, however, no centralised industry system for tracking “opening day” or “opening weekend” records on YouTube, meaning such comparisons rely on publicly visible view counts and reported timestamps rather than independently verified data.

Montana’s recent numbers also reflect a broader milestone within Nollywood, where filmmakers are increasingly using YouTube as a primary distribution channel. The model allows creators to reach audiences directly, measure performance in real time, and scale viewership beyond the limits of theatrical releases.

Since her screen debut in Poison Ivy in 2015, Montana has built her career across film and television, including roles in the Africa Magic series Hush. In recent years, she has expanded into writing and production, joining a growing number of Nigerian filmmakers taking greater control of content creation and distribution.

With Monica 2 maintaining its current pace, its longer-term performance over the first week will likely determine how it ranks against existing high-performing Nollywood titles on YouTube.