Africa-Press Nigeria<\/p>\n
When Nigerian cinemas reopened in September after a months-long lockdown, Moses Babatope, co-founder of the distributor and production company FilmOne Entertainment, began looking ahead to a busy fall season that could get the local industry back on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just beginning to see a recovery,\u201d Babatope says, with \u201cFate of Alakada\u201d \u2014 the third installment in Kayode Kasum\u2019s blockbuster Nollywood franchise \u2014 bursting out of the gate after an Oct. 1 Nigerian Independence Day release. A slew of highly anticipated Nigerian titles were to follow. \u201cLocal films started driving our recovery. Whereas everybody was concerned about Hollywood films, we started seeing local films driving the return of cinemas,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
But days later, Nigeria erupted in nationwide protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a notorious police unit with a long record of brutality, eventually leading to wider demonstrations against corruption and police violence. Security forces turned on peaceful protesters, killing at least 56 people. During the ensuing unrest, three state-of-the-art cinemas owned by FilmOne\u2019s sister company, Filmhouse, were destroyed by looters.<\/p>\n
Babatope estimates the company\u2019s losses at around $1.5 million. \u201cIt\u2019s really painful,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was the year that we were going to see a lot of capital attracted to the sector. It was a year where cinema operators were going to expand their frontiers.\u201d He adds: \u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s been anything but.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a string of record-setting years at the box office, the Nigerian industry has taken a hit of up to 8 billion naira ($21 million) during the six-month pandemic lockdown, a 60%-70% drop from 2019. \u201cIt\u2019s been a tough, tough, tough year,\u201d says Joy Odiete, CEO of leading distributor Blue Pictures Distribution. Industry groups have called on the government for support, but in spite of the dire situation, Nigerian officials \u201cdid not understand the importance of getting the cinemas up and running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the September restart, local exhibitors have been scrambling to fill screening slots, as Hollywood studios push back the release dates of tentpoles like Warner Bros.\u2019 \u201cWonder Woman 1984\u201d and Disney\u2019s \u201cBlack Widow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the success of \u201cFate of Alakada\u201d (pictured), the beleaguered cinema industry is hoping that Nollywood can extend it a lifeline. \u201cWe used to be a market that depended solely on Hollywood,\u201d says Babatope. \u201cBut \u2026 this is a real opportunity for high-quality Nigerian films to stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n
With COVID-19 protocols in place, the cameras have been rolling on a host of hotly anticipated titles, including Kemi Adetiba\u2019s Netflix Original \u201cKing of Boys 2\u201d \u2014 the sequel to her 2018 blockbuster crime thriller \u2014 and superstar multi-hyphenate Ramsey Nouah\u2019s remake of the \u201890s Nollywood cult classic \u201cRattle Snake,\u201d which is slated for a mid-November theatrical release.<\/p>\n
But with movie theaters in much of the country capped at 33% capacity, it remains to be seen if even a series of blockbusters can offset the downturn from a year of unprecedented setbacks. \u201cYes, we have Nollywood content that could fill the gap,\u201d says Odiete, \u201cbut there\u2019s [only] so much you can take as a business, as a distributor, in terms of losses.\u201d<\/p>\n
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