Toyin Abraham, Akinmolayan, Ini Edo Accuse Cinemas of Unfair Practices on December Releases

Nigerian filmmakers Toyin Abraham, Niyi Akinmolayan and Ini Edo have accused some cinema operators of deliberately undermining their movies through what they described as unfair and harmful screening practices.

The producers alleged that certain cinemas falsely label films as sold out, restrict them to just one screening daily, or assign them unfavourable time slots that limit audience turnout and revenue.

Speaking about her latest movie, Oversabi Aunty, Toyin Abraham said the film is being sidelined in several cinemas, adding that the situation has affected her earnings.

“They sell another ticket to people and take them to my movie hall,” she said, alleging that cinemas deliberately fix her film for early morning and late-night slots, which she said hurt its commercial performance.

“Some cinemas will give you 10 am and 9 pm. A 10 am showtime, how do you expect it to sell?” she asked.

READ ALSO: I Will Pull It Down If It Dishonours Christians, Ini Edo Reacts To CAN Threat Over New Movie

Also raising concerns, filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, whose movie Colours of Fire is currently showing, accused some cinemas of selling tickets but failing to screen the film as advertised. He warned that he would expose those involved if the situation was not corrected.

“If by end of day you don’t fix up, I am going to name all the cinemas that have Colors of Fire on their website, collected money from people and are refusing to show them the film,” he wrote.

Ini Edo, who is producing a film for the first time, also expressed frustration over her experience. She shared videos on Instagram showing moviegoers complaining about alleged misconduct by cinema operators, describing the process as emotionally draining.

She wrote, “Nigerian cinemas, this has been exhausting. As a first-timer, I learned on the go with humility and commitment, yet faced intentional frustration despite the sacrifice and investment poured into this project. But God is bigger than every barrier, bigger than gatekeeping and intimidation”.

The complaints have reignited debate over how cinemas allocate screen time, especially during the busy December period, which is widely regarded as the most competitive season in the Nigerian movie industry.