Nigerian Filmmaker Biodun Stephen has kicked against the practice of publicly announcing cinema earnings in Nollywood. She argued that the figures put pressure on other filmmakers and encourage the masses to judge success mainly by financial returns.
Speaking on the Paul & Baaj: In Character podcast, Stephen described the announcements as a distraction and called for an end to the practice.
“I think we really should do away with the announcements,” she said, according to Legit.ng.
Stephen states that filmmakers whose productions earn less at the cinema may feel unsuccessful, even when their films have artistic value. She also questioned whether box office earnings provide a reliable measure of a film’s quality or long-term commercial potential.
A film may earn millions at the cinema without meeting high artistic standards, while another production with strong storytelling and international distribution potential may generate less revenue locally. She described using box office figures as the main measure of success as “very shallow.”
The filmmaker also warned against copying another person’s business decisions without understanding the work behind their success. She compared the trend to people rushing into selling slippers simply because someone else has made money from the business.
Stephen also questioned the actor’s pursuit of international recognition. She asked whether Nigerian filmmakers had fully established themselves in their home market.
Several Nollywood filmmakers and distributors have publicly announced major cinema earnings in recent years, including Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham.
Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes crossed the ₦2 billion mark, with figures shared through her verified X and Instagram accounts showing ₦2,103,039,706 as of January 12, 2026.
Before that announcement, distributor FilmOne Entertainment reported that the film had earned more than ₦1 billion at the Nigerian box office. The distributor also reported a record single-day gross of ₦129.5 million on Boxing Day.
The film subsequently reached ₦2.7 billion, while the National Film and Video Censors Board named Akindele Nollywood Box Office Champion.
Her earlier productions, including Omo Ghetto: The Saga, Battle on Buka Street and Everybody Loves Jenifa, also crossed the ₦1 billion mark.
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Toyin Abraham’s Oversabi Aunty reached ₦1.017 billion, according to FilmOne. The film was billed as the first Nollywood directorial debut to cross ₦1 billion at the box office. Toyin Abraham also publicly thanked God, her fans and her team following the achievement.
Distributors such as FilmOne and film producers on YouTube like Omoni Oboli, Bimbo Ademoye, Timini Egbuson, Ruth Kadiri, and Uche Montana have often also publicised their films’ achievements on social media.
