Ramsey Nouah Shares the Hard Truth About Making Money From Nigerian Cinemas

• Ramsey Nouah has questioned the financial returns filmmakers get from releasing movies in cinemas
• The veteran actor and producer said only a small fraction of cinema releases recover their production costs and make a return on investment
• His comments come amid an ongoing Nollywood debate over the pressure and expense of promoting films for theatrical releases

Nollywood veteran Ramsey Nouah has offered a sobering perspective on the business of taking movies to the cinema, saying the decision does not always guarantee financial success.

Speaking during a recent interview with TVC’s E Splash, the 55-year-old actor and filmmaker discussed the returns producers can expect after investing heavily in theatrical releases.

According to Nouah, only a tiny percentage of films released in cinemas manage to recover their production costs and generate a return on investment.

“No, it is not. Predominately it depends, like you talk about only two percent of people would probably make their capital invested like ROI on cinemas,” he said.

He added that some producers still fail to recover their money despite spending significantly on advertising and promotion.

The cinema debate gets deeper

The actor's comments come months after filmmaker Kunle Afolayan questioned the demands placed on filmmakers trying to promote theatrical releases.

Afolayan described the constant creation of skits and promotional content as draining and said he wanted alternative ways to market films.

Funke Akindele later defended her promotional approach, explaining that dancing began as a practical response to limited marketing funds and urging filmmakers to develop strategies that work for them.

Watch Ramsey Nouah's interview with TVC here:

Funke Akindele shares sacrifices behind her success

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Funke Akindele shared the personal sacrifices she made while producing Behind The Scenes, which has grossed ₦2.7 billion at the Nigerian box office.

She revealed that the project demanded sleepless nights, skipped meals, and abandoning social activities, even neglecting her hair unless required for major outings.

Now, Akindele says she is finally enjoying the rewards of her hard work, taking time to rest and focus on personal care.