The experience of producers of Ije, Anchor Baby and other movies that have recently been shown in the cinema shows that producers have a lot to earn from the return of box offices.
For movie enthusiasts, the gradual return of the cinemas to the Nigerian entertainment culture, after it had disappeared in the past two decades or so, is showing that life does not end with home videos. It is now quite normal to see fun-seeking Lagosians trooping to the few available cinemas every weekend, for instance, no matter how much the gate is – ranging from N1, 500 for some movies to N1, 000 for others.
There is also a general consensus that the cinemas are back to stay, despite the fact that there are less than 10 of popular ones in the country. Between the 1960s and 1980s, the cinema served as a point of social gathering for urban folks and almost all the major cities had a slice of the excitement.
According to the former Managing Director, Genesis Deluxe Cinema, Lekki, Lagos, Mr. Kene Mkparu, the fact that people have fully embraced the return of the cinemas is a pointer that the culture has come to stay.
He says, “A lot of Nigerians are aware of the cinemas now than ever before, they know the opportunities it offers them to relax, which I think is better than sitting at home to watch movies. A lot of parents are at home with it, it is like a great relief to a lot of families now – to know that there is a place to go to at the weekends or during holidays.”
But what does this mean to movie producers? Long before the cinemas returned, movie lovers have been left with no option other than the local content. Usually, the movies came in the form of VCDs and later, when DVDs later were introduced, producers began to move with the trend, churning out several movies in the video format.
Recently, however, with the return of the cinemas as pioneered by Ben Murray Bruce’s Silverbird Cinemas in 2004, several producers have seemingly found a way of evading pirates by taking their movies for public viewing. Initially, movies shown at the cinemas were mainly those from Hollywood but in 2009, Nollywood’s Stephanie Okereke broke the jinx when her movie, Through The Glass, premiered at the cinemas.
The success of the movie, which reportedly made over N10 million in the box office, obviously served as a wake-up call to other producers. Kunle Afolayan’s The Figurine came on the heels of Through The Glass and became the first Nigerian box office hit, making over N30 million in the cinemas.
Other Nigerian movies that have made waves at the cinemas include Tango with Me; Guilty Pleasure; Champions of our Time; Save our Souls and The Game.The producer of Anchor Baby, Lonzo Nzekwe, whose movie made over N17m, says the return of the cinemas is a blessing for both the producers and movie lovers. According to him, it has been a wonderful experience.
“I had a great experience releasing Anchor Baby in Nigeria cinemas. I self distributed the film to all the cinema houses in Nigeria. I flew from Canada a month in advance and went to each cinema to negotiate the deals. It was very challenging, but it opened my eyes on how business is done in Nigeria. Also, I learnt that Nigerians are very supportive when presented with a good quality product,” he says.
Like Nzekwe, Chineze Anyaene, who also came into Nigeria from her US, with her movie Ije, also recorded tremendous, success. Although Anyaene declined comment on the issue, her film reportedly made over N57m in the cinemas and has been viewed by an estimated 14,000 people. Ije is reputed to be Nigeria’s highest selling movie of all time in the cinema, second only to Hollywood’s Avatar.
For Lancelot Imasuen, the experience of premiering at the cinemas is second to none. According to him, even if there are still some “fundamental errors” such as not having enough cinemas, the development will chart a new era for Nollywood.
Although his movie, Home in Exile, did not do so well in cinemas, Imasuen believes that his next movie will do better. He notes that the cinemas signal revolution in Nollywood.
“We started from the end before, now we are trying to redirect people by starting from the beginning. The cinema is the first and home video is the last. Now for a movie to be successful, you need to do massive promotion, it will no longer be like those times, you could just release several movies in a week without promos. If you look at those who have really succeeded in this venture, you will notice that they are Nigerian producers in the Diaspora, they are not core Nollywood practitioners. So, for me, this is a challenge and I hope it corrects all the ills in terms of sound and cinematic values of movies,” he says.
The Chief Executive Officer of Main Frame Productions, Tunde Kelani, also seems to have found a home on the cinemas. His movies such as O Le Ku, Koseegbe, Saworo Ide and Thunderbolt did very well when home videos were still money spinners. Especially following the lull in the industry now, he says the return of the cinemas is the elixir for the envisaged turnaround. Though Kelani complains of low returns which, he says, is as a result of the number and locations of the cinemas, he believes Nollywood will be the better for it.
He explains that the cinema culture is at a transit period, where it is still being imbibed. To him, it is currently an elite culture, far from the reach of the ordinary Nigerians and until the necessary infrastructure is put in place to correct this anomaly, the cinema culture will not make much impact on the people.
However, there are fears in some quuarters that overtime, cinema owners may begin to monopolise the right to air certain movies, or form cabals like what major movie marketers are known for. But there is a unanimous optimism from these producers that such speculations and fears are unfounded.
Imasuen says, “Cinema owners cannot do that. They have no business with distribution, which is where that problem comes in. Their duty is to show the movies presented to them. It is not like some miscreants sitting somewhere in Alaba, waiting to reap where they did not sow, and the cinema is a more refined approach to generating revenue for movies. There is a lot of accountability because everything is done in a straightforward way.”
For Mkparu, the fact that cinemas do not distribute movies is an assurance that producers have nothing to fear. To him, the film makers own their movies, while the cinemas are there to exhibit providing the product is good.
Nzekwe, on his part, thinks differently. He notes that the only way to combat any eventualities is for film producers to embark on self development.
He says, “A monopoly of any kind is not good for the industry. Competition helps the industry grow and it protects the independent filmmaker. Imagine in a situation where you have one cinema house in Nigeria and a filmmaker with a great product that he can’t put out simply because he doesn’t agree in terms with that “One” cinema house. It will rob the public a chance to see that film in Nigeria. There is a possibility that it will happen in Nigeria but it will be bad for the industry. That’s why, as filmmakers, we should strive to make movies that can be sold all over the world. If you limit yourself to one particular territory by making a movie for only that particular territory, if something goes wrong, then you’re screwed.”
In all, despite the hitches, there is a consensus that the cinemas are back to stay and Nollywood stands to gain a lot from this development.
