Criticism of Nollywood’s distribution system has become a familiar refrain, but FilmOne’s managing director offers a different diagnosis: the system isn’t broken — it’s commercial. Rather than a failure of infrastructure, he frames the tensions between filmmakers and distributors as a clash of expectations about risk, return and audience demand.
His perspective centers on the idea that distribution is a business that requires capital, planning and a clear view of who will pay to watch a film in cinemas. Distributors underwrite prints, marketing and release logistics; in return they expect films to reach a level of commercial appeal that justifies that investment. When a title underperforms, he argues, it’s not necessarily a sign of incompetence in the distribution chain but often a reflection of the film’s market fit or promotional strategy.
That stance reframes common complaints. Rather than seeing distributors as gatekeepers who block creative work, he asks filmmakers to see them as risk partners: parties that can widen reach when creative choices, budgets and release timing align with audience behavior. He also highlights the role of data and planning — knowing your target audience, timing releases around competing titles and building realistic marketing plans are all part of maximizing a film’s theatrical prospects.
At the same time, he acknowledges the evolving ecosystem: streaming platforms and alternative windows have introduced more revenue paths, but theatrical release remains a key discovery and revenue driver. The emerging model is therefore one of complementarity, where cinemas, digital platforms and distributors work in sequence to build a title’s lifecycle rather than treating each as a silo.
For change to stick, he suggests, stakeholders need clearer communication and professional discipline: transparent expectations on revenue splits, sensible budgets that match distribution appetite and collaborative release strategies. That approach reduces entitlement and reframes success as a product of shared responsibility rather than unilateral demand.
In short, labeling distribution as “broken” risks missing how commercial realities shape what films get supported and why. Treating distribution as a business — with its constraints and potential — opens the door to better partnerships, smarter release plans and ultimately more sustainable outcomes for Nigerian cinema.
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