Yinka Ade-Aluko cinema reform: Founder urges decentralised cinemas and lower ticket prices to boost access and economic growth in Nollywood

Yinka Ade-Aluko, the founder of Doodle-Film Hub, has called for the decentralisation of cinema infrastructure and the reduction of ticket prices to unlock meaningful economic growth in Nigeria’s film industry.

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The comments were made in an analysis of the FilmOne 2025 Box Office Year Book, shared with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

Ade-Aluko noted that while Nollywood is celebrated globally for its creativity, the country’s cinema exhibition model remains expensive, narrow, and largely urban-elite focused.

“The issue is not talent. It is not storytelling, and it is certainly not audience potential. The real bottleneck is access,” he said.

According to the report, Nigeria’s total cinema box office revenue stands at approximately N16 billion, with just 2.3 million admissions recorded in a year fewer than one in 100 Nigerians.

Ade-Aluko emphasised that this reflects accessibility issues rather than lack of demand, citing high ticket prices averaging around N7,000 and rising to N15,000 in some cinemas.

He also highlighted the imbalance between production and exhibition, noting that while Nigeria produces about 2,000 films annually, only 81 titles reached cinemas during the reporting period.

Foreign films, particularly Hollywood and Bollywood releases, continue to outnumber local productions on screens, limiting diversity and economic returns for local filmmakers.

With only around 122 cinemas across Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia combined concentrated mostly in upscale malls and affluent neighbourhoods  Ade-Aluko stressed that suburban, semi-urban, and campus communities remain underserved.

He recommended decentralised, community-driven cinema models, including mobile screenings, campus cinemas, and flexible pricing systems to encourage repeat attendance and broaden cultural reach.

“Excessive revenue concentration increases systemic risk and discourages diversified investment. A healthy entertainment economy distributes opportunity widely,” Ade-Aluko said.

He further noted that strong domestic exhibition infrastructure enhances soft power by amplifying Nigerian cultural narratives internationally.

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Ade-Aluko concluded: “Nigeria 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.”