Media mogul Mo Abudu has firmly rejected allegations that cinemas deliberately sabotage certain Nollywood films, stating that screening decisions at her EbonyLife Cinemas are based purely on audience numbers and business sustainability, not favouritism.
Abudu spoke on Arise Television alongside actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, addressing weeks of complaints from producers like Toyin Abraham, Niyi Akinmolayan, and Ini Edo, who accused cinemas of sidelining their movies through poor slots and alleged audience diversion.
While Omotola acknowledged the widespread nature of the complaints, Abudu denied any such practices at her chain. “I can’t speak for all the cinemas, but I can certainly speak for EbonyLife Cinemas — it’s not true,” she asserted. “We run a professional business. Our return on investment depends very heavily on making sure that we have people sitting in every single cinema.”
She argued it makes no commercial sense to restrict screenings, as cinemas profit from full seats. “It is in our interest to ensure that every cinema is full,” she said, explaining that EbonyLife's five cinemas conduct about 900 screenings monthly, offering ample space.
Addressing peak-hour slot complaints, Abudu said demand often falls short of expectations. She detailed how slots are adjusted based on performance: “When your film is in our cinema and it has no audience... by the next week we are going to have a conversation. That time slot can no longer really work.”
She emphasized these decisions are impersonal, citing an example involving her own daughter’s film. “My daughter had a film in the cinema last year. When it wasn’t performing, we had to move the film out. So there is no sentiment,” Abudu stated. “This is about return on investment. It does not matter who owns the film.”
The debate highlights growing tensions between filmmakers and exhibitors, especially during the lucrative December season, with producers alleging gatekeeping and unfair practices that Abudu's comments seek to counter from an operator's perspective.
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