The last three months [March, April, and May] have shown that the cinema culture in Nigeria favours Hollywood more than Nollywood, according to data from the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN).
But, we should not be surprised knowing there are several reasons, including higher production value, that will encourage Nigerians to watch a new film from Hollywood and first look for reviews on Nollywood’s latest releases.
Hollywood movies typically have higher budgets than Nollywood movies, which means they can afford to use better special effects, cinematography, and sound design. This can make them more visually appealing and immersive for viewers.
Besides that is the fact that Hollywood movies are more widely available. In other words, they are distributed to cinemas and streaming services worldwide – Nollywood only relies on partial Nigeria-wide distribution and a couple of showings in the UK and US.
Hollywood movies are considered more prestigious because the industry has a long history of producing high-quality films, and its movies are often nominated for and winning awards at major film festivals.
Hollywood movies continue to be the most popular choice for Nigerians [Bollywood for Northern Nigerians], and this is like going to be the case for the foreseeable future.
We should, however, not bounce Nigerians who prefer to watch Nollywood. This is why you would experience films like “Battle on Buka Street” making over ₦655 million as of March 2023, and “Omo Ghetto: The Saga” ₦630 million at the box office.
What’s on Google Trends?
The past 90 days have seen a spike in search queries for “Nollywood movies” more than “Hollywood movies”. This is a combination of searches for movies on streaming platforms and cinemas. This contradicts what the CEAN numbers say but does not rule out a preference for quality over quantity.
Interestingly, the suspect cities [Lagos, Abuja] are not the ones searching the most. Also, most of Northern Nigeria does not even search for “Hollywood movies”, so the records for those states are 0.
The search trend is even more elaborate in the last 30 days.
Hollywood leads at the cinemas
In the last seven days of February, up to the first week of March [Feb. 24 – March 3], cinemas recorded over ₦34,706,895 in revenue, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” alone recorded ₦18,869,311, over 54% of the total revenue. This is after two weeks at the cinema.
The weekend after [March 3-5] recorded ₦58,945,723 but “Creed III” led the ranking this time with ₦27,592,504, about 47% of the total revenue. The Nollywood movies during this week and the weekend – “Battle on Buka Street” and “Love in a Pandemic” came third in both periods.
Fast forward to the third weekend in April [14-16] and press play on John Wick 4, leading the rankings with 35% of the total revenue of ₦63,129,996. This was the film’s fourth week at the cinemas, and only “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” comes close with about ₦10 million, having spent three weeks at the cinemas.
Roll the reel for seven days from April 14-20, and “John Wick 4” still leads. It had over 12,000 movie lovers across 65 locations in Nigeria.
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” takes over from “John Wick 4” in the first weekend of May, making 47% of the total revenue of ₦60,988,789. No other movie comes close, and “Honey Money”, which comes closest, only got about ₦5 million in revenue – but this had spent two weeks at the cinemas and a cumulative of over ₦20 million.
“Fast X” is now leading the numbers, with ₦79 million in its first week at the cinemas. This has 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, showing mixed feelings about the film, knowing all the impossible tricks that took place at the last instalment of the film.
On Netflix, one of the most popular streaming platforms in Nigeria by users, “The Mother” leads the numbers, followed by Ile Owo, a 2022 movie.
Hollywood movies still dominate this list. But, in a general sense, what do the numbers say?
Revenue in the cinema tickets market in Nigeria is projected to reach US$22.46 million [₦10,432,670,000 – current official rates] in 2023, according to data from Statista. This is a 28% increase from the cinema revenue in 2022, which recorded US$17.06 million [₦7,924,370,000].
Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 6.80%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$29.22 million [₦13,572,690,000] by 2027.
In the Cinema Tickets market, the number of users is expected to amount to 2.99 million users by 2027. User penetration will be 1.1% in 2023 and is expected to hit 1.2% by 2027, and the average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$8.83.
So, while we worry that Hollywood is leading the ticket and streaming market in Nigeria, we should consider that the revenue is sitting in Nigeria’s economy and not the US.
Besides, it is possible that the preference for Hollywood could lead to increased competition for Nollywood productions and a shift in audience preference towards Hollywood movies. Fingers crossed.
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