Taking Film To Cinema Not Always Profitable – Ramsey Nouah
Veteran Nigerian actor and producer, Ramsey Nouah, has said taking a film to the cinema is not always a financially rewarding decision.
The 55-year-old filmmaker made the remark in a recent interview with TVC’s E Splash, where he spoke about returns from theatrical releases.
According to Nouah, only a small percentage of films released in cinemas actually recover their production costs and make profit, even after heavy spending on promotion.
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“No it is not. Predominately it depends, like you talk about only two percent of people would probably make their capital invested like ROI on cinemas. Even with the promotion and all of that, some people still do not get their capital invested,” he opined.
His comment comes months after filmmakers Funke Akindele and Kunle Afolayan expressed contrasting views on the demands of promoting cinema films.
Afolayan had in January described the constant content creation required for promotion as “unsustainable,” saying it was a major reason he stepped back from cinema releases despite being a pioneer of Nigeria’s cinema resurgence.
He had also questioned Akindele’s promotional style, stating, “I want to make a film if you guarantee that I do not have to dance to sell that film. I do not know how Funke and the likes of them are doing it; creating all of those skits, changing costumes every day.”
Akindele, however, urged filmmakers to innovate rather than withdraw, insisting she remains committed to her own promotional approach.
In February, at the premiere of the sequel to ‘Anikulapo’, Afolayan further suggested that some filmmakers make less than N10 million in profit even when their films gross over a billion naira, a remark seen as a jab at Akindele and Toyin Abraham, the only two filmmakers to have crossed the N1 billion box office mark in Nollywood.
BY ABDULBAQI JIBREEL AJAO
