At the height of the Conovarius pandemic in 2020, Nollywood was badly affected as major studios, cinemas and productions were either shut down or suspended indefinitely.
This, in turn, led to a spike in online movie streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
When Nigerian cinemas were eventually permitted to reopen in September 2020- the first time in more than four months, Nigerian filmmakers had to get a lot more creative.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to work extra hard to generate revenue from the box office as the absence of Hollywood blockbusters made it a breeze.
By the end of 2020, it was clear that 2021 would be an even better year for Nigerian filmmakers and stakeholders alike.
Nigeria’s largest cinema chain, Filmhouse, in its first-quarter analysis of box office information, says despite the absence of Hollywood blockbusters and seating capacity restrictions, the Nigerian box office has so far performed relatively better in 2021.
According to Filmhouse, the figures reflect the resilience and strong recovery potential of the Nigerian film industry.
In addition, they said despite the 45 per cent market share that cinemas in Lagos account for, in the first quarter of 2021, Funke Akindele’s blockbuster movie, ‘Omo Ghetto,’ accounted for 48 per cent of revenues and 47 per cent of attendance in Nigerian cinemas.