The yuletide season remains one of the most lucrative periods for Nollywood movie producers, with many filmmakers yearning to hit the billion-naira mark at the box office.
To claim the number-one spot at the box office, filmmakers must employ various tactics, including strategic social media marketing and collaborations with colleagues and content creators to promote their movies.
However, 2025 was no exception, and was surrounded by controversies, a battle for showtime, alleged monopoly, and foul play by producers and cinema executives.
Showtime War And Monopoly
Naija News reports that, amid the December cinema run, Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham, in a video shared on social media, claimed that some cinemas misrepresented showtimes, withheld tickets, and pushed some films into unfavourable screening slots, actions she claimed could affect revenue and audience access.
Similarly, first-time cinema producer, Eni Edo, also lamented about being sidelined, allocated fewer screens, stating that when some movie lovers got to cinemas to watch her film, they were canvassed by staff to watch other films, while scheduling her movie for odd hours in cinema halls that were not in good condition.
On December 26, 2025, popular filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, in a post on his Instagram page, accused certain cinemas of deceptive practices, alleging that they listed the film online, collected payment from audiences, and then failed to screen it as scheduled.
He said, “I already have three, and you know yourselves!! If you don’t fix up today, I will post your cinemas and the names of your managers!!!” he wrote, adding, “If by the end of the day you don’t fix up, I am going to name all the cinemas that have Colours of Fire on their website, collected money from people, and are refusing to show them the film.”
While Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, never complained about the controversy or abrupt cancellations of scheduled showtimes, fans attribute the success of her film to exceptional performances, a blend of relatable storytelling, strong ensemble casting, and aggressive marketing.
Is Billion Mark The New Standard?
In an exclusive interview with Naija News, Nollywood actor cum film producer, John Njamah, spoke on the controversies regarding the box office, the pressure to hit the billion-naira mark and how it affects filmmakers.
He said, “First of all, over the past few years, by and large, you understand the fact that it has only favoured one particular person. So, I don’t know where this zeal will be from if I know that one particular person will always take over that box office space every now and then, every December. So, yes, it will kill the zeal of movie procurers. I think we, as producers and directors, should stop bothering ourselves about creating records at the box office. I think we should worry more particularly about the work, the core work that needs to be done, because you want to go to the market to sell something and your farm produce is rotten, chances are there that you will not sell.
“So, I think enough talk about the box office this, the box office that, you know, the particular person that has been number one all through the past few years. So, what I think should be the competition is to be a better filmmaker. For me, that’s where the competition should be, not the competition about outsmarting a certain individual. The box office thing is a model.”
Asked if the ₦1 billion box office hit is still a success since the cost of tickets, production and marketing has tripled due to inflation, the film director said, “I have not doubted the success, have I? I haven’t. If the success is according to certain people, for me, I don’t have a stake in it per se, to deem it whether it’s successful or not. You know, but whatever the case may be with inflation and somebody hitting a bit over two billion, it’s still a success. It can be regarded as a success because it was one billion, now it’s two billion. But the question again is, a success, if it is, for whom? Will it benefit every other producer, director, or filmmaker? Will it benefit them? If the answer is yes, in what way will it benefit them? In what way can I learn from the somewhat success of a particular individual?”
While addressing the showtime war and disparity among Nollywood producers and filmmakers, the movie star said, “Don’t forget the fact that at the end of the day, by and large, it’s a business model and it takes a lot of money to run a business. And if they deem it fit to say this particular AB is more in demand, and so focus should be placed on AB themes, so be it. All of this would not happen if we had enough cinemas in the nation, in the country, because I think we have just too few cinemas to go around the population that we have. And these people who run these cinemas are private individuals.
“There’s a lot that goes into running a cinema in this country. There’s a lot of taxation and all of that. So what I think can be done is to be very practical about distribution in terms of the cinema, distribution in terms of allocation of time and all of that. And why wait till December before we have one, two, three, four films running, meaning that the population is too much for the halls that we have?”
On how filmmakers can resist the current urge of hitting the ₦1 billion mark and focus on best filmmaking, John Njamah added, “I can only speak for myself. And that has been the dwindling factor over the years. You know, nobody is talking about the trade of making a good film. Everybody is talking about the trade of selling, the trade of distribution and everything, which, of course, is part of filmmaking, you know. But then again, as I said, if you want to market something, if you have a product to sell, you must make sure that the product is up to date so that it is sellable. And I think that’s where issues start. The art of making a good film, that’s where we should be particular about.”
Credit: Naijanews
To claim the number-one spot at the box office, filmmakers must employ various tactics, including strategic social media marketing and collaborations with colleagues and content creators to promote their movies.
However, 2025 was no exception, and was surrounded by controversies, a battle for showtime, alleged monopoly, and foul play by producers and cinema executives.
Showtime War And Monopoly
Naija News reports that, amid the December cinema run, Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham, in a video shared on social media, claimed that some cinemas misrepresented showtimes, withheld tickets, and pushed some films into unfavourable screening slots, actions she claimed could affect revenue and audience access.
Similarly, first-time cinema producer, Eni Edo, also lamented about being sidelined, allocated fewer screens, stating that when some movie lovers got to cinemas to watch her film, they were canvassed by staff to watch other films, while scheduling her movie for odd hours in cinema halls that were not in good condition.
On December 26, 2025, popular filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, in a post on his Instagram page, accused certain cinemas of deceptive practices, alleging that they listed the film online, collected payment from audiences, and then failed to screen it as scheduled.
He said, “I already have three, and you know yourselves!! If you don’t fix up today, I will post your cinemas and the names of your managers!!!” he wrote, adding, “If by the end of the day you don’t fix up, I am going to name all the cinemas that have Colours of Fire on their website, collected money from people, and are refusing to show them the film.”
While Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, never complained about the controversy or abrupt cancellations of scheduled showtimes, fans attribute the success of her film to exceptional performances, a blend of relatable storytelling, strong ensemble casting, and aggressive marketing.
Is Billion Mark The New Standard?
In an exclusive interview with Naija News, Nollywood actor cum film producer, John Njamah, spoke on the controversies regarding the box office, the pressure to hit the billion-naira mark and how it affects filmmakers.
He said, “First of all, over the past few years, by and large, you understand the fact that it has only favoured one particular person. So, I don’t know where this zeal will be from if I know that one particular person will always take over that box office space every now and then, every December. So, yes, it will kill the zeal of movie procurers. I think we, as producers and directors, should stop bothering ourselves about creating records at the box office. I think we should worry more particularly about the work, the core work that needs to be done, because you want to go to the market to sell something and your farm produce is rotten, chances are there that you will not sell.
“So, I think enough talk about the box office this, the box office that, you know, the particular person that has been number one all through the past few years. So, what I think should be the competition is to be a better filmmaker. For me, that’s where the competition should be, not the competition about outsmarting a certain individual. The box office thing is a model.”
Asked if the ₦1 billion box office hit is still a success since the cost of tickets, production and marketing has tripled due to inflation, the film director said, “I have not doubted the success, have I? I haven’t. If the success is according to certain people, for me, I don’t have a stake in it per se, to deem it whether it’s successful or not. You know, but whatever the case may be with inflation and somebody hitting a bit over two billion, it’s still a success. It can be regarded as a success because it was one billion, now it’s two billion. But the question again is, a success, if it is, for whom? Will it benefit every other producer, director, or filmmaker? Will it benefit them? If the answer is yes, in what way will it benefit them? In what way can I learn from the somewhat success of a particular individual?”
While addressing the showtime war and disparity among Nollywood producers and filmmakers, the movie star said, “Don’t forget the fact that at the end of the day, by and large, it’s a business model and it takes a lot of money to run a business. And if they deem it fit to say this particular AB is more in demand, and so focus should be placed on AB themes, so be it. All of this would not happen if we had enough cinemas in the nation, in the country, because I think we have just too few cinemas to go around the population that we have. And these people who run these cinemas are private individuals.
“There’s a lot that goes into running a cinema in this country. There’s a lot of taxation and all of that. So what I think can be done is to be very practical about distribution in terms of the cinema, distribution in terms of allocation of time and all of that. And why wait till December before we have one, two, three, four films running, meaning that the population is too much for the halls that we have?”
On how filmmakers can resist the current urge of hitting the ₦1 billion mark and focus on best filmmaking, John Njamah added, “I can only speak for myself. And that has been the dwindling factor over the years. You know, nobody is talking about the trade of making a good film. Everybody is talking about the trade of selling, the trade of distribution and everything, which, of course, is part of filmmaking, you know. But then again, as I said, if you want to market something, if you have a product to sell, you must make sure that the product is up to date so that it is sellable. And I think that’s where issues start. The art of making a good film, that’s where we should be particular about.”
Credit: Naijanews
