Mo Abudu, a Nigerian media entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of the EbonyLife Group, has rejected claims that a powerful group in Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, works with cinema owners to block some movies from getting fair screening slots.
Okay News reports that the allegation has gained attention in recent weeks after some filmmakers and cinema-goers used social media to complain that films sometimes disappear from a published schedule, are replaced with other titles, or that cinema staff persuade paying customers to switch to a different movie after tickets have already been bought.
Speaking on Saturday, 7 February 2026, during an interview on ARISE Television, a Nigeria-based news channel, Abudu said cinema decisions are guided by business realities and audience demand, not sentiment, favouritism, or personal relationships.
The discussion also featured Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, a veteran Nigerian actress known across Africa for her long career in film and television, who said the complaints have become common across the industry.
“I have heard these things, people have been saying this. Actors themselves have come out to say this has happened to them,” Omotola said, adding that some fans have also claimed they were encouraged to watch different films from the ones they came to see.
In response, Abudu said the allegation does not apply to EbonyLife Cinemas, the cinema chain she owns. “It’s not true. We run a professional business,” she said.
Abudu explained that cinema operators depend heavily on filling seats to make back their investment, arguing that it would not make commercial sense to discourage viewers from watching a particular film or to restrict access to screenings.
She said EbonyLife runs five cinemas and carries out about 30 screenings daily, which she estimated at roughly 900 screenings in a month, adding that there is enough room for different movies if the audience turnout supports it.
Addressing complaints about prime-time slots, Abudu said audience behaviour does not always match expectations, and even where peak periods are limited, the number of available screenings can still be substantial depending on demand.
She also said schedules are reviewed based on performance because cinemas carry ongoing costs such as electricity, air conditioning, and staff salaries.
“When your film is in our cinema and it has no audience, and I am running air conditioning and paying staff, and you only have two or three people in a 100-seater cinema, by the next week we are going to have a conversation,” she said, adding that some time slots may no longer be workable if turnout remains low.
Abudu insisted that such decisions are not personal and apply to all producers, regardless of name, ownership, or influence. “There is no sentiment to anybody being in the cinema space,” she said.
To support her point, she cited a film produced by her daughter, Temidayo Abudu, which she said was removed from cinemas last year because it was not attracting enough viewers.
“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,” she said, adding that the issue is ultimately about return on investment.
Her comments come amid rising tension between filmmakers and cinema operators, especially during December, which is often one of Nigeria’s busiest cinema periods.
During that period, Toyin Abraham, a Nigerian actress and film producer, alleged that cinemas declared her film Oversabi Aunty sold out while giving it unfavourable screening times.
Filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, a Nigerian director and producer, also claimed some cinemas collected ticket revenue without screening his film Colours of Fire.
Ini Edo, a Nigerian actress who recently stepped into film production, described her first-time experience as exhausting, citing what she called “gatekeeping and intimidation.”
