Yinka Ade-Aluko, the Chief Executive at Doodle-Film Hub Ltd., has revealed that Nigeria’s cinema industry holds the dubious distinction of being the most expensive globally. Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, Ade-Aluko emphasized that the high cost and limited accessibility of cinema in Nigeria were uncovered through extensive research conducted by Doodle-Film Hub Ltd.
According to Ade-Aluko, the disparity in affordability becomes evident when comparing Nigeria to Hollywood and Bollywood. He explained, “With a monthly N30,000 minimum wage, a movie ticket costs two days’ earnings of an average Nigerian, which is totally unacceptable!”
He further highlighted that in Hollywood and Bollywood, cinema tickets typically cost only around an hour of their respective daily wages. Ade-Aluko attributed these differences to the industries’ alignment with their countries’ economic realities, emphasizing that Nollywood should adapt to suit the peculiarities of Nigeria’s economy and its people.
Despite Nigeria having a large and youthful population known for their love of entertainment, Ade-Aluko questioned the industry’s performance. He pointed out that Nollywood’s highest-grossed movie, “The Battle On Buka Street” by Funke Akindele, attracted less than 0.5% of the country’s 200 million-plus population and less than 1% of the market size.
“This is because the majority of movie-lovers and potential cinema-goers in Nigeria, who are primarily youths and students, could not afford to go to the cinema,” Ade-Aluko emphasized.
Addressing the challenges, he stated, “This is one of the problems we set out to solve with our business idea, apart from youths’ unemployment.” Ade-Aluko criticized the cinema industry for its treatment of filmmakers, high production budgets, and overpriced movie tickets, emphasizing the need for reform to ensure a more inclusive and thriving cinema culture in Nigeria.
