The yuletide season stays one in every of the most profitable classes for Nollywood film producers, with many filmmakers craving to hit the billion-naira price on the box dwelling of job.

To negate the number-one region on the box dwelling of job, filmmakers must exhaust varied ways, including strategic social media advertising and marketing and collaborations with colleagues and exclaim creators to promote their motion photos.

Nonetheless, 2025 changed into no exception, and changed into surrounded by controversies, a fight for showtime, alleged monopoly, and notorious play by producers and cinema executives.

Showtime Struggle And Monopoly

Twinny News experiences that, amid the December cinema trot, Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham, in a video shared on social media, claimed that some cinemas misrepresented showtimes, withheld tickets, and pushed some motion photos into detrimental screening slots, actions she claimed would per chance well per chance additionally impact revenue and viewers entry.

Similarly, first-time cinema producer, Eni Edo, also lamented about being sidelined, allotted fewer shows, pointing out that after some film enthusiasts received to cinemas to place her film, they had been canvassed by workers to place other motion photos, whereas scheduling her film for uncommon hours in cinema halls that had been no longer in upright condition.

On December 26, 2025, widespread filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, in a post on his Instagram page, accused sure cinemas of pretend practices, alleging that they listed the film online, soundless fee from audiences, and then failed to cowl it as scheduled.

He said, “I already have three, and yourselves!! Whereas you don’t repair up on the present time, I’ll post your cinemas and the names of your managers!!!” he wrote, adding, “If by the tip of the day you don’t repair up, I’ll title the total cinemas that have Colours of Fireplace on their internet region, soundless money from of us, and are refusing to expose them the film.”

Whereas Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, by no methodology complained relating to the controversy or abrupt cancellations of scheduled showtimes, fans attribute the success of her film to unprecedented performances, a mix of relatable storytelling, right ensemble casting, and aggressive advertising and marketing.

Is Billion Ticket The Original Identical outdated?

In an uncommon interview with Twinny News, Nollywood actor cum film producer, John Njamah, spoke on the controversies relating to the box dwelling of job, the tension to hit the billion-naira price and the intention it impacts filmmakers.

He said, “First of all, throughout the final few years, by and mountainous, the truth that it has simplest favoured one say individual. So, I don’t know where this zeal will probably be from if I know that one say individual will continuously rob over that box dwelling of job house infrequently, every December. So, sure, this can cancel the keenness of film procurers. I mediate we, as producers and directors, would per chance well per chance additionally merely composed reside bothering ourselves about rising recordsdata on the box dwelling of job. I mediate we would per chance well per chance additionally merely composed apprehension more seriously relating to the work, the core work that wants to be accomplished, since you need to prance to the market to promote something and your farm get is injurious, chances are there that you won’t promote.

“So, I mediate satisfactory talk relating to the box dwelling of job this, the box dwelling of job that, , the say individual that has been number 1 throughout the previous few years. So, what I mediate would per chance well per chance additionally merely composed be the competition is to be a greater filmmaker. For me, that’s where the competition would per chance well per chance additionally merely composed be, no longer the competition about outsmarting a definite individual. The box dwelling of job thing is a model.”

Asked if the ₦1 billion box dwelling of job hit is composed a success since the charge of tickets, production and advertising and marketing has tripled as a result of inflation, the film director said, “I even have no longer doubted the success, have I? I haven’t. If the success is fixed with sure of us, for me, I don’t have a stake in it per se, to imagine it whether it’s a success or no longer. You know, nonetheless whatever the case would per chance well per chance additionally merely be with inflation and any individual hitting a small over two billion, it’s composed a success. It would per chance well per chance additionally be even handed a success because it changed into a billion, now it’s two billion. Nonetheless the ask again is, a success, if it’s, for whom? Will it motivate every other producer, director, or filmmaker? Will it motivate them? If the respond is sure, in what manner will it motivate them? In what manner can I be taught from the a small success of a say individual?”

Whereas addressing the showtime war and disparity amongst Nollywood producers and filmmakers, the superstar said, “Don’t omit the truth that on the tip of the day, by and mountainous, it’s a industry model and it takes diverse money to trot a industry. And if they maintain it fit to claim this say AB is more in seek data from of, and so center of attention would per chance well per chance additionally merely composed be positioned on AB themes, so be it. All of this would per chance no longer happen if we had satisfactory cinemas in the nation, in the country, because I mediate we now have appropriate too few cinemas to head across the population that we now have. And these of us who trot these cinemas are private contributors.

“There’s plenty that goes into running a cinema on this country. There’s diverse taxation and all of that. So what I mediate would per chance well per chance additionally be accomplished is to be very fair correct about distribution in phrases of the cinema, distribution in phrases of allocation of time and all of that. And why wait till December earlier than we now have one, two, three, four motion photos running, meaning that the population is too powerful for the halls that we now have?”

On how filmmakers can resist the contemporary bolt of hitting the ₦1 billion price and center of attention on handiest filmmaking, John Njamah added, “I will simplest talk for myself. And that has been the dwindling element through the years. You know, no one is talking relating to the alternate of making a upright film. Everyone is talking relating to the alternate of promoting, the alternate of distribution and the full lot, which, obviously, is a part of filmmaking, . Nonetheless nonetheless, as I said, when you can address to market something, when you would possibly well per chance per chance additionally merely have gotten a product to promote, or no longer you’ll must substantiate the product is up up to now so that it’s sellable. And I mediate that’s where concerns open up. The art of making a upright film, that’s where we would per chance well per chance additionally merely composed be say about.”