Nigerian producer and director Mildred Okwo, has raised questions about the accuracy of box office figures reported by some Nollywood stakeholders.
Okwo’s concerns seem to be sparked by claims that a Nollywood film currently showing across Nigeria has hit a box office milestone. Although she did not directly mention the film or its title, her tweets appeared to be in response to a post by Timini Egbuson, producer and lead actor of the film Reel Love, who had announced on his X account that his film had grossed ₦99.2 million in three days.
In a series of tweets, Okwo questioned how this was possible, given the number of cinema screens and ticket prices in Nigeria. The tweet read: “Ask how many cinema screens in Nigeria? Then ask what is the average number of people who can sit to watch or how many tickets can be sold? Then ask the average price of cinema tickets… Next, how many people need to buy tickets for you to gross ₦100 million in 3 days?” she tweeted.
The tweet continued: “As you think this through, ask yourself, how many shows or spots a day your film has to be granted in each of these cinema houses to make this money. Remember it is not only your film in cinemas”.
Nollywood players respond to box office controversy
Other filmmakers have supported Okwo’s concerns, with some calling for transparency in reporting box office figures. Filmmaker Adedamola Jones Adedayo responded to Okwo’s tweet, saying “Filmone people [Nigeria’s biggest distribution company] have questions to answer, I guess.”
Director Ogoo Umeadi added, “We need more and more indie distributors.”
Culture journalist Molara Wood also responded, saying: “I’ve been talking about these ridiculous figures seemingly plucked from thin air to make bigger & bigger box office claims. And it’s getting worse. People calling unbelievable numbers to outdo the last person, and with no credible data to back it up. Just vibes. Only in Nigeria.”
Okwo continued in another tweet, saying: “Of course in this age of AI, someone says to gross ₦100M in 3 days, you need approximately 16 screens nationwide (more if lower occupancy, fewer if higher). 80 screenings per day (spread across available screens). 5 shows per screen per day.”
Abolaji Razaq, a film producer, replied the post, saying: “First-time executive producers are seeing shege in the hands of Nollywood people.”
Another producer, Femi Ogunsanwo, also commented, saying, “Nollywood producers have seen plenty shege over the past 5 – 7 years. [Some] of their nightmare stories are better than the dramas we make into films. What I don’t understand is why they don’t due their due diligence…in Nollywood, like they do with other industries.”
Reel Love is a Nigerian romantic film directed by Kayode Kasum and produced by Timini Egbuson. The film stars Timini Egbuson, Funke Akindele, Bimbo Ademoye, Shaffy Bello, Muyiwa Ademola, Hermes Iyele, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Lilian Afegbai, and Efa Iwara.
