Nigerian movie director James Abinibi has taken to social media to advise his colleagues against releasing movies in cinemas, citing massive financial losses across the industry.
Akinibi in a lengthy post on Instagram on Friday, blamed the economic situation, high production costs, and consumer skepticism for the reason producers are no longer recouping their investment from cinema outings.
According to the filmmaker and graphic designer, the theatrical business model is bleeding and unsustainable. He further condemned the trend of using skits and dance videos for promotion, arguing that strong storytelling and high production value are what truly draw audiences.
The post titled, “DON’T TAKE YOUR MOVIE TO THE CINEMAS” reads: “No Nollywood producer has broken even from their cinema releases this year. None. Not a single one. Forget all the ‘first movie to…’ or ‘biggest…’ records you’ve been sold.
“Everyone that has a movie out in the cinemas since January this year is bleeding—and it’s not stopping anytime soon.”
“Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I speak genuinely from a place of pure love and passion for our film industry—at a time when it’s convenient to keep quiet and murmur in private. Some of us, well, me—I no sabi pretend.”
He noted that to break even in cinemas, producers must rake in close to a billion naira. “To break even with your cinema outing, first consider that the average blockbuster costs nothing less than 200 million to make.
“Usually, it’s much more… Meaning, you need to do around 700 to 900 million by the end of your cinema run to recoup your initial capital.”
“Prominent actors aren’t reducing their fees, top crew members still charge a premium, and equipment suppliers are constantly adjusting to the ever-changing dollar rate,” he said, adding that many viewers would rather go see imported content like Sinner than risk disappointment with a local film.
“I still believe that a spectacular film will always thrive at the box office with proper media promotion… Most of our audience don’t have much faith in our movies.”
Abinib noted that unlike before where streaming deals acts as backups, now these options are longer reliable.
“It used to be that producers would do their cinema runs to get some ego boost—clearly not making any profit—and then bank on streaming platforms… Not that the platforms have abandoned us—they’ve just taken a break.”
“Filmmaking is a genuine source of joy and fulfillment for many of us… Filmmaking is a spiritual thing,” he wrote.
He concluded saying, “We need help in Nollywood. And a quick one too—before debts run people into depression.”