Toyin Abraham, Ini Edo, Niyi Akinmolayan call out cinemas for ‘sabotaging’ their films

Niyi Akinmolayan is the latest producer to accuseNigerian cinemas of sabotaging December film releases through unfair screeningpractices.In an Instagram post on Friday, the movie producerthreatened to expose the cinemas allegedly sabotaging the theatrical run of hislatest film ‘Colours of Fire’ if the situation is not rectified.Akinmolayan alleged a pattern of deception by certaincinemas. He claimed they advertise ‘Colours of Fire’ on their websites andcollect money from ticket-buying audiences, only to then refuse to screen thefilm.“If by end of day, you don’t fix up, I am going to name allthe cinemas that have Colours Of Fire on their website, collected money frompeople and are refusing to show them the film,” he wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyi_akinmolayan) He said he has already identified three cinemas engaged inthe practice, issuing a direct ultimatum: “I already have three, and you knowyourselves!! If you don’t fix up today, I will post your cinemas and the namesof your managers!!!”Similarly, in an InstagramLive session, Toyin Abraham lamented that her latest film ‘OversabiAunty’ was being sidelined in some cinemas.“I am not making money. They sell another ticket to peopleand take them to my movie hall,” she said.“I have a lot of evidence. Some people cannot come outbecause they are afraid of bullies.”Also, filmmaker Ini Edo shared clips on her Instagram page of movie loverscomplaining about what they described as cinema misconduct.On X, she called the experience “exhausting,” especiallyfor a first-time producer.“As a first-timer, I learned on the go with humility andcommitment, yet faced intentional frustration despite the sacrifice andinvestment poured into this project,” she wrote.The incident is the latest in a series of grievances voicedby Nollywood professionals against cinema operators.Last year, actress Mercy Aigbe claimed somecinemas actively discouraged viewers from watching her film ‘Thin Line’.Fellow actor Femi Branch also alleged that cinemastaff sometimes wear merchandise to promote specific movies, compromisingneutrality.Adding to the chorus, former BBNaija star Pere recounted losingover N150 million due to what he described as “unfair practices” and allegedfavouritism within cinema halls.However, the cinema industry has previously pushed backagainst such claims.Patrick Lee, the former chairman of the Cinema ExhibitorsAssociation of Nigeria (CEAN), refuted allegations of bias, arguing that it isnot in cinemas’ commercial interest to sabotage films.He explained that cinemas logically prioritise high-sellingfilms with optimal screening times and facilities to maximise revenue.

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