Is cinema in Nigeria accessible to everyone? This question raises many concerns, especially regarding the high cost of movie tickets. According to a recent study, Nigeria has been named the country with the most expensive cinemas in the world, with tickets worth two days’ salary for an average Nigerian earning the monthly minimum wage of N30,000.
This reality is concerning because it prevents many Nigerians from accessing films and film culture. Compared to Hollywood and Bollywood, where buying a ticket only represents an hour’s daily salary, it is obvious that something needs to be done to make cinema more affordable in Nigeria.
This situation also poses a challenge for the Nigerian film industry, popularly known as “Nollywood”. Despite a population of over 200 million, Nollywood has yet to reach a significant percentage of the Nigerian population. The highest-grossing Nigerian film of all time, “The Battle On Buka Street” directed by Funke Akindele, only attracted about 0.5% of the population.
This poses a serious problem, not only for filmmakers and actors, but also for emerging talents looking to break into the film industry. If cinemas fail to attract a wider audience, these talents risk remaining in the shadows and never getting the chance to present their ideas and skills to the general public.
It is in this context that the company Doodle-Film Hub Ltd was created. This company aims to rethink and reposition Nigerian cinema by making films more accessible to the general public. Their innovative idea is based on a process of massification of cinema, like what Henry Ford did with the automobile and Bill Gates with the computer.
Doodle-Film Hub Ltd wishes to decentralize, domesticate and democratize cinema in Nigeria by mainly targeting youth. They want to offer an affordable and accessible cinematic experience for all, in order to reach a larger part of the Nigerian population and give the opportunity to talented young directors to make themselves known.
It is time to rethink our approach to cinema in Nigeria. It’s time to end the exclusion of large parts of the population due to the prohibitive cost of movie tickets. Creativity and talent abound in this country, so it is essential to create the necessary conditions for them to flourish. Cinema must become a true vehicle for entertainment and economic growth for all Nigerians, and this is where the true potential of the Nigerian film industry lies.