Nigerian filmmakers Toyin Abraham, Niyi Akinmolayan, and Ini Edo have accused certain cinema operators of deliberately undermining their films through what they describe as unfair and harmful screening practices.
The producers claimed that some cinemas falsely label films as sold out, restrict them to just one screening per day, or assign them unfavourable time slots, limiting audience turnout and revenue.
Speaking about her latest movie, Oversabi Aunty, Toyin Abraham said the film is being sidelined in several cinemas, affecting her earnings.
“They sell another ticket to people and take them to my movie hall,” she alleged, adding that cinemas deliberately schedule her film for early morning and late-night slots, which she said hurt its commercial performance.
“Some cinemas will give you 10 am and 9 pm. A 10 am showtime, how do you expect it to sell?” she asked.
Filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, whose movie Colours of Fire is currently showing, also accused some cinemas of selling tickets but failing to screen the film as advertised. He warned that he would expose those involved if the situation was not corrected.
“If by end of day you don’t fix up, I am going to name all the cinemas that have Colors of Fire on their website, collected money from people and are refusing to show them the film,” he wrote.
Ini Edo, producing a film for the first time, expressed frustration over her experience. She shared videos on Instagram showing moviegoers complaining about alleged misconduct by cinema operators, describing the process as emotionally draining.
“Nigerian cinemas, this has been exhausting. As a first-timer, I learned on the go with humility and commitment, yet faced intentional frustration despite the sacrifice and investment poured into this project. But God is bigger than every barrier, bigger than gatekeeping and intimidation,” she said.
The complaints have reignited debate over how cinemas allocate screen time, particularly during the busy December period, which is widely regarded as the most competitive season in the Nigerian movie industry.
