Media mogul and EbonyLife Group CEO, Mo Abudu, has pushed back against growing allegations that an influential group within Nollywood collaborates with cinema operators to sideline certain films from favourable screening slots.
The controversy, which has dominated social media discussions in recent weeks, centres on claims that some movies are abruptly removed from schedules, replaced with rival titles, or that cinema staff persuade moviegoers to change their chosen films after tickets have already been purchased.
During an appearance on ARISE Television on Saturday, Abudu maintained that cinema programming is determined strictly by business realities and audience turnout, not favouritism or personal affiliations.
Veteran actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, who joined the conversation, acknowledged that the complaints have become widespread across the industry, with both filmmakers and viewers sharing similar accounts.
“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.
Responding, Abudu stressed that such practices do not exist 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 said.
According to her, deliberately restricting screenings or diverting audiences would be financially damaging, as cinema operators rely on ticket sales to remain profitable.
“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,” she explained.
Abudu also addressed concerns about access to prime-time screening slots, noting that audience demand does not always reflect 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 added.
She further explained that films are often rescheduled or removed based on performance, as cinemas must manage operational costs such as electricity, air conditioning, and staff salaries.
“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.
Abudu emphasized that such decisions are purely commercial and apply equally to all filmmakers, regardless of ownership or influence.
“There is no sentiment to anybody being in the cinema space,” she stated.
To support her argument, she disclosed that a movie produced by her daughter, Temidayo Abudu, was also withdrawn from cinemas after failing to attract viewers.
“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.
The debate comes against the backdrop of mounting friction between filmmakers and cinema chains, especially during December, Nigeria’s busiest cinema period.
Recently, actress and producer Toyin Abraham accused some cinemas of misrepresenting the ticket sales of her movie Oversabi Aunty and allocating unfavourable screening times.
Filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan similarly alleged that certain cinemas collected ticket revenue without actually screening his film Colours of Fire, while actress Ini Edo described her debut producing experience as stressful, citing what she called “gatekeeping and intimidation.”
