Mo Abudu, a Nigerian media entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of the EbonyLife Group, has dismissed claims that a “cabal” in Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, works with cinema owners to shut some films out of screening slots.
The allegation has been discussed widely online in recent weeks, with some filmmakers and cinema-goers claiming that movies are sometimes removed from scheduled showings, replaced with other titles, or that cinema staff persuade customers to switch films after tickets have already been purchased.
Abudu addressed the issue on Saturday, 7 February 2026, during an interview on ARISE Television, a Nigeria-based news channel, where she said cinema operations are guided by business decisions and audience demand rather than sentiment or personal relationships.
During the conversation, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, a veteran Nigerian actress known for her influential career in film and television, said the complaints have become common in the industry.
“I have heard these things, people have been saying this,” Omotola said, adding that some actors and fans have also claimed they experienced such situations.
Abudu responded by saying she could not speak for every cinema operator but insisted the claims are not true for EbonyLife Cinemas, the cinema chain she owns. “It’s not true. We run a professional business,” she said.
She explained that cinemas rely on filling seats to protect their investment and that it would make no commercial sense to deliberately block certain films or discourage audiences from watching a movie they paid to see.
Abudu said EbonyLife operates five cinemas and carries out about 30 screenings a day, which she put at roughly 900 screenings monthly, adding that there is space for multiple films when audiences show up.
She also addressed complaints about premium time slots, saying expectations about peak hours do not always match audience behaviour, and that scheduling decisions are shaped by demand.
Abudu said screening timetables are reviewed based on performance because cinemas must cover recurring costs such as electricity, air conditioning, and staff wages.
“When your film is in our cinema and it has no audience … 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, explaining that poor turnout can lead to changes in show times or removal from the schedule.
She stressed that the approach is the same for everyone, regardless of who produced the film. “There is no sentiment,” she said, describing the process as driven by return on investment.
To illustrate her point, Abudu said a film produced by her daughter, Temidayo Abudu, was removed from cinemas last year because it was not performing well.
The debate has intensified amid friction between filmmakers and cinema operators, particularly during December, a period often regarded as one of Nigeria’s busiest cinema seasons.
During that period, Toyin Abraham, a Nigerian actress and film producer, alleged that cinemas declared her film Oversabi Aunty sold out while assigning 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 and first-time producer, described her experience as difficult, citing what she called “gatekeeping and intimidation.”