Nollywood actor and producer, Pere Egbi, has opened up about the challenges facing the Nollywood industry, particularly issues related to cinemas in Nigeria. Pere revealed that he suffered a significant financial loss, amounting to over ₦100 million, as a result of these challenges.
The actor made this revelation in response to a video shared by fellow actor, Femi Branch, who had earlier lamented about the negative trends in Nigerian cinemas. Femi had criticized cinemas for their practice of promoting certain movies over others, along with other pressing issues affecting the industry.
In his reaction, Pere shared his personal experience, highlighting the financial difficulties he faced as a producer. He disclosed that he invested a staggering ₦150 million from his personal funds into one of his movies and even borrowed an additional ₦11 million from an investor to complete the project. Despite this massive investment, he noted that the movie's performance in cinemas was dismal, leading to substantial losses.
Pere stated that his film made only ₦53 million in cinemas, out of which he received a little over ₦8 million. He attributed the poor returns to the practices of cinemas, which include hiding films and providing limited screen time for certain productions.
Speaking further, he expressed his frustration with streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, revealing that his movie, *The Silent Intruder*, has yet to be accepted on these platforms. Pere lamented the challenges faced by new and independent producers like himself, who often struggle to recover their investments.
In his words: “Dear Femi Branch, I came across your video, and I want to say thank you for speaking out on this issue. Every single thing you said is pure facts. Honestly, I was planning to wait until the end of January 2025 before making any moves, but at this point, I’m saying, let’s go.
“As for Netflix and Prime Video, till today, *The Silent Intruder* is on neither. Story here and there! Over ₦150 million of my personal funds went into making that film. Plus ₦11 million taken from someone who invested.
“Till today I haven’t been able to pay back that person because I haven’t recovered money spent. My film made just ₦53 million in cinemas and I got just a little over ₦8 million from it. Netflix I no see, Prime Video I no see!
“It’s the struggles that new producers and many producers like myself have to deal with. I’m still on that fight!”
Pere's story has sparked conversations online, with many in the Nollywood community expressing solidarity and calling for reforms in the industry to ensure fairer practices and better opportunities for producers and filmmakers.
