As a scriptwriter and budding producer, I have noticed a disturbing trend. Most Nigerian movies that have been taken to the cinema in the last two years have hardly made the money invested in them which is driving away a lot of investors. At the typical Nigerian cinemas hardly anybody is ready to pay N1000 or more to watch a Nigerian movie that is not well publicized.(There are a few exceptions like "the meeting" Most cinema patronizers are from the upper middle and upper classes that turn up their noses at Nigerian movies whereas the true fans of these movies are in the high density areas. (Research have shown that Silverbird cinemas Uyo have the highest turnover for Nigerian movies)
Our company Dreamplay entertainment wants to show quality and cinema standard Nigerian movies in high quality venues in these low density areas (in multiple locations) starting with Lagos so we are doing some preliminary market research. Please answer the following questions as truthfully as possible.

1. Would you be willing to watch a well shot Nigerian movie at the cinema?
2. How much would you be willing to pay to watch such movies since we all agree that N1,500 for cinema ticket prices is a rip off.
3. If you stay in certain high density areas in Lagos like Mushin, Ajegunle, Ikotun etc will you go to a cinema there?
4. We intend to publicize these movies through social media. Will you willingly follow the exploits of the movie and its stars online?
5. We intend to book cinema viewers through the internet/social media. Would you be willing to book a cinema seat online?
6. Would you want to pay for your cinema ticket online, through your phone, ATM card or with cash at the gate?

Thank you for your anticipated response. If you have other questions you want to ask please let us know.

No.

Everyother question is irrelevant at this point.

BUT assuming I was going to,
1. Well shot movie WITH good reviews.....Yes

2. #1000 max

3. Yes

4. No

5. No

6. No

I don't like online booking of anything at all. Upfront and personal would do just fine

Why would I wanna pay 1K to watch a hurriedly produce move, crappy script and terrible acting?

Mynd_44: Why would I wanna pay 1K to watch a hurriedly produce move, crappy script and terrible acting?

Have a lil faith. He did say a well shot/written movie. Based on that assumption, would you pay to view?

Nope!!

Asides the movies produced by Tunde Kelani's Mainframe, paying to watch any other Nigeria movie is a total waste of time and resources

uj_sizzle:
Have a lil faith. He did say a well shot/written movie. Based on that assumption, would you pay to view?

Hell YES!!!!!

Before i'll give my answers, you need to know one thing lynx, the 'why Nollywood movies aren't making back the money they spent' isn't because of people not visiting the Cinema to watch Nollywood movies, it's because of few Cinemas in Nigeria. United State alone has up to a thousand standard Cinemas, assuming their standard Cinemas are not up to twenty, like Nigerian Cinemas, they'll be facing the same problem. The problem isn't people, the problem is, where are the Cinemas? Many States, not just cities, has no Cinema e.g Abia, Imo, Anambra, Delta etc. I myself have not been to Cinema for once, just because there's none in my city, you don't expect me to travel to Uyo, Calabar or PH only to watch a 2hrs movie. Guys and girls are kind of fed up with the regular drinking of beer, eating fast food and attending musical shows. Assuming we have Cinemas in every major cities alone, who'll be complaining of not getting back his money, unless the movie is crap. Genevieve, Ramsey, Omotola, Rita, O.C etc. Their fans want to see their recent movies as they just saw the trailer, we can't see them in alaba movies, they're now known as the new Nollywood acts.

My answers:

1) Yes (well shot)

2) #1000 max (only for a well shot)

3) Ofcourse (only to watch a well shot)

4) No

5) No

6) Hell No!

My question:

like how many standard Cinemas have we now, in total?

Wow! Thanks for the insight guys. Concerning the price we were looking at N300 and we would only screen cinema quality movies not home videos. Keep the responses rolling. Thanks Uj sizzle, Mynd 44, Ogbeche and Nadia.

tony ayo: Before i'll give my answers, you need to know one thing lynx, the 'why Nollywood movies aren't making back the money they spent' isn't because of people not visiting the Cinema to watch Nollywood movies, it's because of few Cinemas in Nigeria. United State alone has up to a thousand standard Cinemas, assuming their standard Cinemas are not up to twenty, like Nigerian Cinemas, they'll be facing the same problem. The problem isn't people, the problem is, where are the Cinemas? Many States, not just cities, has no Cinema e.g Abia, Imo, Anambra, Delta etc. I myself have not been to Cinema for once, just because there's none in my city, you don't expect me to travel to Uyo, Calabar or PH only to watch a 2hrs movie. Guys and girls are kind of fed up with the regular drinking of beer, eating fast food and attending musical shows. Assuming we have Cinemas in every major cities alone, who'll be complaining of not getting back his money, unless the movie is crap. Genevieve, Ramsey, Omotola, Rita, O.C etc. Their fans want to see their recent movies as they just saw the trailer of their new movies as we can't see them in alaba movies, they're now known as the new Nollywood acts.

My answers:

1) Yes (well shot)

2) #1000 max (only for a well shot)

3) Ofcourse (only to watch a well shot)

4) No

5) No

6) Hell No!

My question:

How many standard Cinemas have we now, in total?

About 4 i guess

lynx200: 1. Would you be willing to watch a well shot Nigerian movie at the cinema?

Yes.

lynx200:
2. How much would you be willing to pay to watch such movies since we all agree that N1,500 for cinema ticket prices is a rip off.

Between 300 and 500

lynx200:
3. If you stay in certain high density areas in Lagos like Mushin, Ajegunle, Ikotun etc will you go to a cinema there?

Yes

lynx200:
4. We intend to publicize these movies through social media. Will you willingly follow the exploits of the movie and its stars online?

Yes. But I might not be active. I'll definitely be reading up.

lynx200:
5. We intend to book cinema viewers through the internet/social media. Would you be willing to book a cinema seat online?

No.

lynx200:
6. Would you want to pay for your cinema ticket online, through your phone, ATM card or with cash at the gate?

Phone or ATM

tony ayo: Before i'll give my answers, you need to know one thing lynx, the 'why Nollywood movies aren't making back the money they spent' isn't because of people not visiting the Cinema to watch Nollywood movies, it's because of few Cinemas in Nigeria. United State alone has up to a thousand standard Cinemas, assuming their standard Cinemas are not up to twenty, like Nigerian Cinemas, they'll be facing the same problem. The problem isn't people, the problem is, where are the Cinemas? Many States, not just cities, has no Cinema e.g Abia, Imo, Anambra, Delta etc. I myself have not been to Cinema for once, just because there's none in my city, you don't expect me to travel to Uyo, Calabar or PH only to watch a 2hrs movie. Guys and girls are kind of fed up with the regular drinking of beer, eating fast food and attending musical shows. Assuming we have Cinemas in every major cities alone, who'll be complaining of not getting back his money, unless the movie is crap. Genevieve, Ramsey, Omotola, Rita, O.C etc. Their fans want to see their recent movies as they just saw the trailer, we can't see them in alaba movies, they're now known as the new Nollywood acts.

My answers:

1) Yes (well shot)

2) #1000 max (only for a well shot)

3) Ofcourse (only to watch a well shot)

4) No

5) No

6) Hell No!

My question:

like how many standard Cinemas have we now, in total?

You hit the nail on the head Tony. It's because of the scarcity of cinemas that we are embarking on this venture. Many of the fans of the nigerian film industry want to see their stars but there are no cinemas near them. We intend setting up quality neighbouhood cinemas where people can walk in and watch a film at N300. This is the basis of the bollywood film industry, walk in cinemas where you pay less than a dollar to watch a movie. No film industry thrives depending on the elites so the real fans of nollywood have to be catered for.

To answer your question on the number of cinemas there are not up to 20 operational cinema complexes nationwide with half of them in Lagos

Make my left leg break nw.....I better use d money playpool....

i will never pay to watch dustbins

Yes, if it is worth is.

A movie I will never pay to watch is "Last Flight to Abuja" or "Ije" but give me any of TK's movies (Maami Saworoide) or Kunle Afo's (Araromire etc) and I will pay even N1500 to watch it.

U guys shud also think of how to take it global. Channel 4 in uk shows indian films and other movies from ethnic minorities but they dnt show naija. And there is a healthy number of Nigerians in the uk.

Even airlines dat fly Nigeria e.g lufthansa and air france cant even be bothered to put nigeria movies on their list and the know fully well that their passengers are nigerians.

I will do that the day terry g won five grammy awards

If the picture quality is good. I won't even mind the storyline .

No no no...ah dont lyk movies nigerian,american,all except indian

Have done it severally,is a good thing to do!!!

I'd have to be convinced by the ad/trailer and poster.

Anyway, I only go to cinemas to watch Sci-fi, or Action and Nollywood hasn't gotten to that stage!

lynx200: As a scriptwriter and budding producer, I have noticed a disturbing trend. Most Nigerian movies that have been taken to the cinema in the last two years have hardly made the money invested in them which is driving away a lot of investors. At the typical Nigerian cinemas hardly anybody is ready to pay N1000 or more to watch a Nigerian movie that is not well publicized.(There are a few exceptions like "the meeting" Most cinema patronizers are from the upper middle and upper classes that turn up their noses at Nigerian movies whereas the true fans of these movies are in the high density areas. (Research have shown that Silverbird cinemas Uyo have the highest turnover for Nigerian movies)
Our company Dreamplay entertainment wants to show quality and cinema standard Nigerian movies in high quality venues in these low density areas (in multiple locations) starting with Lagos so we are doing some preliminary market research. Please answer the following questions as truthfully as possible.

1. Would you be willing to watch a well shot Nigerian movie at the cinema?
2. How much would you be willing to pay to watch such movies since we all agree that N1,500 for cinema ticket prices is a rip off.
3. If you stay in certain high density areas in Lagos like Mushin, Ajegunle, Ikotun etc will you go to a cinema there?
4. We intend to publicize these movies through social media. Will you willingly follow the exploits of the movie and its stars online?
5. We intend to book cinema viewers through the internet/social media. Would you be willing to book a cinema seat online?
6. Would you want to pay for your cinema ticket online, through your phone, ATM card or with cash at the gate?

Thank you for your anticipated response. If you have other questions you want to ask please let us know.

. @ OP... I feel what you are talking about. I quite agree with the guy who said we don't have much cinemas in Nigeria. Secondly, I notice that most producers doing movies for cinemas, they don't really market/publicise their movies for Nigerians to see. They only focus on Lagos and TV alone., that Is why you see that most actresses and actors that started their careers in cinema films and are still doing cinema films, people like alex ekubo, damilola adegbeti, joseph benjamin and others, if you mention their names in some part of the country, even lagos, so many people don't know them. But actors and actresses who were so smart to diversify to Alaba films, they become Way popular than cinema actors. Look @ mercy johnson, tonto and some others. Well, am an online promoter/publisist. I won't mind if your entertainment company partner with my blog and online media to publicise your movies and works.. OP you can buzz me @ wandeok@ymail.com if you are interested.

Create more cinemas thats all...make una try upgrade abeg,especially the sound of guns and car accidents pls

i ll take my mom to the cinemas and join her in watching if she insists.

Anytime I go to cinema to watch a movie then it has to be a Nigerian movie. Can't really remember the name of the last one I watched, but it was a great Nollywood movie.

The only thing I noticed all the time is just me & my baby watching it.

i dey maaad *whatever happened to 20 in 1

Walahiiiii....
For emphasis.....
MBAAAANU
NO WAY
IMPOSSIBLE
LAI-LAI
AWUA-WUA


Tufiakwa.... For me to use my hard earned naira/kobo to watch pOo.

Nadia_SA1: Nope!!

even you, then it's finished

Pay to watch Nollywood? NO WAY! They've got no common sense at all.
No1 : dem no fit make call (wats d cost of a less dan 1min call wit etisalat?)
No2 : they feel too big to recieve a slap frm their colleague( even jackie chan sef dey chop slap o)
And u're tellin me to pay 1000k? NO WAY!!

Wow!!! I never expected this amount of responses in such a few hours. Thanks dude. It seems we are equally split between those who will watch and those who wouldn't. Nice one people. It looks like the need to publicize the movie is paramount here and its true most producers neglect this. @Wandeok will contact you soon if you are a right fit for our marketing needs. Keep it rolling guys.

There are some new nollywood films coming out which would change your mind about Nigerian movies. Yes most of the films (especially Alaba films) are crap but I have always believed in working to effect change rather than bellyache like I use to do some time back. A few of my scripts have become the leading lights in the new nollywood movement (pardon my bragging ) and we want to help birth a lot like that.

1. Would you be willing to watch a well shot Nigerian movie at the cinema? By well shot, you mean top notch ....YES

2. How much would you be willing to pay to watch such movies since we all agree that N1,500 for cinema ticket prices is a rip off........I FIT FOLLOW FILMHOUSE PAYMENT PACKAGE....5H BEFORE 6 DURING THE WEEK

3. If you stay in certain high density areas in Lagos like Mushin, Ajegunle, Ikotun etc will you go to a cinema there?...NOPE...MAKE DEM USE BOTTLE MASSACRE MY HEAD ABI...YOU NO WELL OOO

4. We intend to publicize these movies through social media. Will you willingly follow the exploits of the movie and its stars online?...YEAH I WILL
5. We intend to book cinema viewers through the internet/social media. Would you be willing to book a cinema seat online? LONG THING...I'D RATHER SORT WHEN I REACH THERE, WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND

6. Would you want to pay for your cinema ticket online, through your phone, ATM card or with cash at the gate?...CASH AT GATE. THANK YOU

ANY MORE QUESTIONS LEMME KNOW....