The World Of Nollywood!!!

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One of the stories trending across Nigerian social media right now is the controversy surrounding Nigerian cinemas. There have been allegations that some cinemas are playing hanky-panky with some movies. You’d buy a ticket for a movie, and they’ll end up making you watch something else, and thus, the producers of the original movie you wanted to see will lose the money you were supposed to pay them.

This is a serious allegation, because it’s giving fraudulent vibes. But then, I don’t really know how true it is, just that many producers have come online to complain about it, which is what makes it seem like such a serious issue. But then, I have to wonder, if there are enough people wanting to see a movie, will the cinemas still pull this trick? After all, they’re a business, and they’ll only make decisions that will benefit them financially. Turning away potential customers is just a dumb move, if you ask me.

But then, I also have to accept the fact that promotions of Nollywood movies are almost non-existent. There are movies that you won’t know about until a few weeks before their release. Movies whose teasers and trailers are only released three months prior to them dropping in cinemas. There is no hype or anything, just hope and prayers.

And then, even worse, there are those who don’t even bother with trailers at all. And when you think about it, you have to wonder what exactly goes through the minds of these people. Do they just make these films, hoping that people will find out about them somehow? Without marketing, how will people know your film even exists?

Of course, there are those who actually take promotions seriously. They start it well in advance, sometimes, up to a year before the release date. Hyping people up and getting them mentally prepared for the movie. It’s only something that I’m hyped about that I’ll be willing to spend my money on. It’s not like money grows on trees, or the economy is buoyant. Things are hard, so I’ll only put my money where I’m sure I’ll get the value for it, and especially where there has been enough marketing to sensitize me on it.

If you go to the cinema today, there are many movies there that you won’t recognize at all. Even for someone like me who almost watches movies for a living and follows the trends, there will be films I don’t even know. If you go online, you won’t see anything about them, and even if you do, there will be ridiculously little.

Of course, I won’t know every single film that comes out, considering how many films are being released daily, but at the very least, there should always be something about them. People are busy and have a lot on their plates. If you do not shove your films into their faces, they won’t even know they exist. That’s just the truth.

I’m not defending the act of tricking customers, if it really does happen. I just know that both cinema owners and movie producers can do better. That’s a fact!

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_{Thank you for this. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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