Nigerians spent less on cinema ticket sales in July, as box office income fell 14.98%.
The 14.98% (N85 million) decline to N482 million represents a drop from the prior month’s performance when movie theatres worldwide made N567 million.
This information was provided in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos by the Chairperson of the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria, Mr. Opeyemi Ajayi.
Ajayi revealed that this drop was widespread, affecting all Nigerian theatres during the month of July.
According to him, there were 218 395 people who had seen films nationwide in total. Despite the fact that the month’s public holidays contributed to a slight increase in movie goers.
The several public holidays in July had an impact on the viewership figures and current revenue. Ajayi further urged more Nigerians to think about going to the movies as a way to unwind during their free time.
“With 218,395 viewers in the theatres, we generated total revenues of N482,528,117 for the month of July.
The cinemas are not performing poorly, but we urge more Nigerians to make it a practice to go to the movies, he said.
The most popular films in theatres during the month of August are Akuddaya, Meg 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, A Bag of Trouble, Blue Beetle, Mikolo, The Modern Woman, Retribution, and Kesari.
Looking back, Nairametrics revealed in June that movie theatre attendance rose by 13,057 and that revenue grew by N53 million.
“With 210,299 viewers admitted across the theatres, we were able to bring in N567,899,087 for the month of June. We had a little increase in sales in June, when we received N567,899,087, compared to May, when we brought in 197,242 viewers and sold N514,653,363.
The following films, including Lust Lobe and Other Things, Mission Impossible 7, Insidious, Orisha, Oppenheimer, Hotel Labamba, and Unforgivable, were shown in theatres during the month of July.
Early in the year, Nigerian theatres faced their fair share of difficulties, with the industry’s financial stability being permanently damaged by the naira’s scarcity. The dramatic decline from N819 million in January to N278 million in February was particularly illustrative of this.
