Media entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu, has rejected claims that a powerful group within Nollywood collaborates with cinema owners to sideline certain films from prime screening slots.
The allegations, which have gained traction on social media in recent weeks, suggest that some movies are abruptly removed from scheduled screenings, replaced with other titles, or that cinema staff persuade viewers to switch films after tickets have already been purchased.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Saturday, Abudu insisted that cinema operations are guided strictly by commercial logic and audience demand, not favoritism, sentiment, or personal relationships.
Veteran actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, who participated in the discussion, acknowledged that such concerns have become widespread within the industry. She noted that both actors and moviegoers have repeatedly shared similar experiences.
“I have heard these things, people have been saying this. Actors themselves have come out to say this has happened to them. And there are some fans too who corroborate these stories, confirming that some people convinced them to watch one movie apart from the movie they came to see,” Omotola said.
In response, Abudu clarified that while she could not speak for all cinema chains, such practices do not occur at EbonyLife Cinemas.
“I can’t speak for all the cinemas, but I can certainly speak for EbonyLife Cinemas. It’s not true. We run a professional business. Our return on investment depends very heavily on making sure that we have people sitting in every single cinema,” she stated.
She argued that it would be counterproductive for any cinema operator to deliberately limit screenings or discourage audiences from watching specific films.
“It is in our interest to ensure that every cinema is full. We have five cinemas in EbonyLife. We do about 30 screenings a day. That’s about 900 screenings in a month. There is plenty of space,” Abudu explained.
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Addressing concerns over limited access to peak-hour slots, she pointed out that audience preferences and turnout do not always align with filmmakers’ expectations.
“Even if you say people prefer peak hours, and they get 50% of that, that’s still about 450 screenings in a month,” she said.
Abudu further explained that screening schedules are frequently adjusted based on a film’s performance, as cinemas must manage operational expenses such as electricity, air conditioning, and staff wages.
“When your film is in our cinema and it has no audience, and I am running air conditioning and paying staff, and you only have two or three people in a 100-seater cinema, by the next week we are going to have a conversation. That time slot can no longer really work,” she said.
She emphasized that such decisions are strictly business-related and apply to all producers, regardless of status or personal relationships.
“There is no sentiment to anybody being in the cinema space,” she added.
To reinforce her point, Abudu revealed that a film produced by her daughter, Temidayo Abudu, was also withdrawn from cinemas due to poor performance.
“My daughter had a film in the cinema last year. When it wasn’t performing, we had to move the film out. So there is no sentiment,” she said.
“This is about return on investment. It does not matter who owns the film. If I, Mo Abudu, make a film and we are not able to fill up the seats, it’s going to give way to the next film that can,” she added.
Prompt News reports her comments come amid rising tension between filmmakers and cinema operators, particularly during December, Nigeria’s peak cinema season.
During the period, actress and producer Toyin Abraham accused some cinemas of falsely declaring her film Oversabi Aunty sold out and assigning it unfavourable screening times. Filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan also alleged that certain cinemas collected ticket revenue without showing his movie Colours of Fire. Meanwhile, actress Ini Edo described her debut experience as a producer as draining, citing what she called “gatekeeping and intimidation.”
