Nollywood actor and producer Pere Egbi has opened up about the challenges facing the Nigerian movie industry and cinemas, revealing that he lost over 100 million naira because of these issues.
Pere shared his story in response to a video by fellow actor Femi Branch, who criticized cinemas for unfair practices like promoting certain movies over others. According to Eyes of Lagos, Femi Branch had called out cinemas for their role in creating problems for filmmakers.
Joining the conversation, Pere shared his frustration as a victim of these challenges. He explained that he spent 150 million naira of his own money and borrowed an additional 11 million naira to produce one of his movies. However, the movie’s returns were disappointing.
Pere blamed the poor outcome on cinemas hiding films and giving them limited screen time. He said:
“Dear Femi Branch, I saw your video, and I want to thank you for speaking out. Everything you said is the truth. I was planning to wait until January 2025 to take action, but I think the time is now.
“As for Netflix and Prime Video, my movie The Silent Intruder is still not on either platform. It’s been one story or another. I spent over 150 million naira of my own money on the film, plus 11 million borrowed from an investor.
“To this day, I haven’t been able to pay back the loan because I haven’t recovered my costs. My movie made just 53 million in cinemas, and I only got a little over 8 million from it. No Netflix, no Prime Video!
“This is the struggle that new producers like me face. I’m still fighting!”
Pere’s story highlights the tough reality for many Nigerian filmmakers as they navigate the challenges of producing and distributing movies.
