Between Cinema Owners and Allegations of Unfair Practices

Allegations of unfair practices by cinema owners in the country have raised issues of concern among practitioners in the industry, especially filmmakers, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Ongoing allegations of unfair practices by cinema owners in the country have in recent times raised issues of concern to practitioners in the industry, especially filmmakers who claimed certain Nollywood films are given preference at the cinemas by the operators at the expense of other films exhibited.

They alleged that cinema owners and their employees promote certain films over others, further fueling division within the sector. To these filmmakers, such shoddy practices discourage their efforts and return on their investments, making the allegations widespread.

Their complaints and concerns about the cinema operators favouring some productions over others comprise the cinema employees wearing branded t-shirts of certain films, thereby influencing viewers’ choices. In some instances also, telling cinema buffs and movie fans the films to watch.

There are also allegations that operators even change a viewing time for another just to accommodate more of the fans of a particular film often highly anticipated with established stars. And in some cases, a film is given more viewing slots than the others. While in other scenario, a film is scheduled in halls with faulty air conditioners.

More so are claims that the movies are not shown at the allotted cinemas despite having showtimes. Prompted by this development, the film producers have had to take to online platforms to voice their concerns, urging cinema operators to be fair in scheduling and to ensure equal opportunities for all filmmakers.

Reports have also shown fans on social media echo these allegations via posts and comments, revealing more concerning responses from cinemagoers and reactions from fans in the comment as they shared their take and experience during some of the time at the cinemas.

Some time ago, renowned actress and producer, Shan George accused cinema owners in the country of stalling the progress of the Nigerian film industry by organising themselves into cabals. In George’s view, such act is capable of ruining the film industry and everything it has achieved over the past years.

Worried by the activities of some of these cinema owners, the actress stated that such engagement portends danger to Nollywood as they have created a situation in which only they could determine what films should be accepted for screening in theatres across the country, promoting favouritism in the industry.

Also in a related development, Nollywood filmmaker, Mildred Okwo sometime in April 2021 complained about the early removal of her crime thriller ‘La Femme Anjola’ from some cinema outlets owned by Filmhouse, a movie exhibition and production company.

Cinemagoers had observed that the film was no longer showing at some Filmhouse outlets, prompting grumblings and inquiries on Twitter. Okwo’s subsequent confirmation of the development elicited several backlash from fans who were hoping to see the movie during an Easter holiday.

“People had started reacting, asking why they would remove a film that was that new,” she explained. In Okwo’s case, a cinemagoer had claimed that ‘Prophetess’, a Filmhouse-owned comedy-thriller, was showing with up to seven slots in one cinema — despite the removal of her movie.

“Not all of us want comedy. It’s not an issue if you want to remove LFA (La Femme Anjola) but don’t tell me it’s because my film is not doing well. For a fair competition, you need to make sure there are other films,” Okwo stressed. Going by that incident, Okwo opted for other options to market the project.

The director had also recounted her ordeal in 2015, at which time she said her other movie, ‘Surulere’ was removed when it ranked number 1 among Nollywood debuts and number 2 overall. She also recalled the “unfair” advantage enjoyed by cinema owners who also happen to own movie production companies.

Speaking on the matter, filmmaker Obi Emelonye said the relationship between cinema owners and producers has always been a curious one the world over. “The Nigerian situation is not any different. Film producers have always accused cinema owners of greed and unfairness towards them as creators and first tier investors of the sector.

“In an industry that lacks regulation or ethical practice to exclude vertical integration across the value chain of the creative space, cinema owners may become producers, distributors and exhibitors. With such powers and such vested interests across the ecosystem, no one can really blame the cinema operators for making decisions that benefit themselves.

“They have films competing with your film in their cinema that they have produced, if you were in their shoes, will you favour my film against your own? The system that allows such vertical integration is the problem. Anyone with such powers must favour themselves deliberately or not,” he stated.

These allegations of unfair practices by cinema operators in the country have raised issues of concern to practitioners in the industry. It thus becomes a subject as the ongoing allegations continue to reoccur and endure.

Allegations of biased cinema practices surfaced in December 2024, with actress Mercy Aigbe accusing cinemas of dissuading fans from viewing her latest film, ‘Thin Line’. The period witnessed popular box office releases, including ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’, ‘The Waiter’, ‘Alakada Bad and Boujee’, and ‘Thin Line’, all with substantial promotional efforts.

Mercy, who released her mystery drama on December 13 following a press screening earlier, shared the messages she got from some fans, who visited the Maryland Mall to watch her film. In her post, Mercy alleged that one of the staff advised the person to watch ‘The Waiter’ instead of ‘Thin Line’.

According to the post shared by Mercy, the air conditioner where ‘Thin Line’ was showing was defective. The fan disclosed that she went to another cinema and they gave her the same excuse. Mercy is not alone on this. Another filmmaker, Toyin Abraham also called out some cinemas, which she feels were frustrating moviemaker’s effort and success with their attitude.

Toyin, while celebrating her movie ‘Alakada Bad and Boujee’ hit at the cinemas noted that it wasn’t being shown in many cinemas. Similarly, an actor, Femi Branch alleged that certain cinema staff actively promoted select films during the same time, sometimes by wearing branded merchandise, instead of maintaining neutrality.

During a recent chat last week, the former chairman of the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), Patrick Lee addressed the ongoing allegations of unfair practices by cinema operators in Nigeria. In the interview, Lee rejected the notion that cinemas gain any benefit from exhibiting bias.

He explained that decisions to prioritise certain films are driven by business factors, noting that movies with higher commercial potential are given prime screening slots and access to superior facilities.

On the issue of staff wearing promotional T-shirts, Lee clarified that such apparel is often misunderstood as favoritism but is, in reality, promotional material provided by film producers.

“In busy periods, cinema equipment may break down,” Lee stated. “When it happens and you are unable to repair, you make a commercial decision. So, the decision is to move the movie with the highest audience to the hall with functioning equipment.

“Equipment breaking down often happens, but the highest-selling film will always get the best facility because we need to take care of our customers.” He further added, “We do not tell customers what movie to watch. In the past, we had customers asking staff about movies to watch because there was not a lot of social media information, but we do not encourage customers to watch a movie over another,” he said.

Lee urged producers to submit formal complaints to the appropriate authorities instead of airing grievances on social media. He stressed that official complaints allow for proper investigations and resolution, whereas social media posts are difficult to substantiate.

“In the cinema association, we encourage producers to make an official complaint. Then we can investigate it officially, but when people go on social media to make a statement, we can look into it, but because it is not an official complaint, it is rather challenging to take up,” he explained

While the ongoing allegations caught the attention of the stakeholders in the industry, EbonyLife Cinemas emerged the leading cinema location in West Africa for 2024, grossing about N1 billion. The announcement, based on Comscore records, was shared by FilmOne Distribution.

Reacting to the milestone, the CEO of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu expressed her excitement on social media with a celebratory post. “Breaking records, setting standards, and redefining the cinema experience! I’m incredibly proud to share that EbonyLife Cinemas has been ranked Number 1 in West Africa for 2024!” she said.

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