The Founder of Doodle-Film Hub, Yinka Ade-Aluko, has urged for the decentralisation of cinema infrastructure and a reduction in ticket prices to drive economic growth in Nigeriaās film industry.
Ade-Aluko made the call while analysing the FilmOne 2025 Box Office Year Book, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.
He noted that while Nollywood is globally recognised for its creativity and output, its current cinema model is expensive, urban-centric, and limits the industryās economic impact.
āThe issue is not talent. It is not storytelling, and it is certainly not audience potential. The real bottleneck is access,ā Ade-Aluko said.
According to the FilmOne report, Nigeriaās total cinema box office revenue in 2025 stood at about N16 billion, with just 2.3 million total cinema admissions recorded in a year ā fewer than one in 100 Nigerians visited a cinema.
Ade-Aluko said the low attendance reflected accessibility challenges rather than lack of audience interest, noting that many Nigerians consume films via streaming platforms, television, mobile devices, and informal channels.
He highlighted that average cinema ticket prices hover around N7,000, with some venues charging up to N15,000, making frequent cinema visits unaffordable for families and students.
Ade-Aluko said high ticket prices disrupt the cycle of repeat viewership critical for box office sustainability.
The Doodle-Film Hub founder also pointed to the imbalance between film production and exhibition, noting that while Nigeria produces around 2,000 films annually, only 81 local titles made it to cinemas in the reporting period.
He warned that limited screen access constrains earnings for local filmmakers and reduces the domestic circulation of Nigerian cultural narratives.
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Ade-Aluko highlighted infrastructure limitations, citing about 122 cinemas across Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia, most of which are concentrated in upscale malls and high-income areas.
He said campuses, semi-urban communities, and secondary cities remain largely underserved.
He recommended developing a stronger exhibition ecosystem to create employment beyond actors and directors, including roles for projectionists, marketers, hospitality staff, technicians, and vendors.
Ade-Aluko added that a robust domestic exhibition system could also boost Nigeriaās cultural influence internationally.
To expand access, he proposed decentralised, community-driven cinema models such as campus cinemas, community cinemas, and mobile exhibition initiatives, along with flexible pricing structures, sponsorship-backed screenings, institutional partnerships, and subscription systems to encourage repeat attendance.
āNigeria does not lack creative talent, production capacity, or audience appetite. What it lacks is widespread, affordable exhibition infrastructure.
The future of Nigerian cinema may depend less on how many films are produced and more on how widely they are seen,ā Ade-Aluko said.