Nigeria Cinema Day 2024 Sees Over 16,000 Tickets Sold at ₦1,000

The second edition of Nigeria Cinema Day saw over 16,000 movie tickets sold nationwide at a reduced price of ₦1,000 on September 21, 2024.

Organized by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), the initiative aimed to revive cinema culture by making tickets more affordable for Nigerian moviegoers.

The event, which marked a significant drop from the usual average ticket price of ₦5,500, was intended to encourage more patronage and make cinema-going more accessible to the general public. CEAN’s National Chairman, Ope Ajayi, noted that the price cut was introduced to tackle rising ticket costs and to celebrate the local film industry.

On the day prior, India also celebrated its own National Cinema Day on September 20, with ticket prices similarly reduced to ₹99 from the usual ₹160.

However, while movie tickets in Nigeria were indeed reduced to ₦1,000 for the day, there were additional costs for concessions. A visit by The Nollywood Reporter (TNR) to Silverbird Cinemas at Ikeja City Mall in Lagos revealed that popcorn and soft drinks were sold separately at ₦2,500 and ₦1,000, respectively. This brought the total cost of a typical cinema experience, including snacks, to ₦4,500—still cheaper than the regular ₦7,500 package.

Unlike typical days when concessions are bundled with the ticket, the ₦1,000 offer allowed patrons to attend screenings without being obliged to purchase snacks or drinks, giving moviegoers more flexibility.

Interestingly, a number of cinema-goers were unaware of the promotional event, despite extensive marketing by CEAN. Precious, a young cinephile at the Ikeja cinema, shared her pleasant surprise at receiving ₦3,000 in change when she paid the usual ₦7,500 for her ticket. “It’s nice. It feels good to have something positive happening in Nigeria,” she said.

Another patron, David Nwachukwu, remarked that although he had seen online ads for the promotion, he doubted it would be honored. “It’s not every day something like this actually happens,” he added.

Among the 12 patrons interviewed by TNR, eight mentioned they came to watch either *Transformers One* or *Deadpool and Wolverine*. However, the latter had already been removed from the cinema’s schedule, disappointing some attendees.

Nationwide, 16,140 tickets were sold during Nigeria Cinema Day 2024, a sharp 196% increase from the previous weekend’s sales of 5,458 tickets on September 14. However, this figure represents a 25% decrease compared to the 21,556 tickets sold during the inaugural edition of Nigeria Cinema Day in 2023, according to data from the Nigerian Box Office.

Efforts to obtain comments from the branch manager at Silverbird Cinemas, Ikeja City Mall, regarding their experience with the day’s turnout were unsuccessful.