They Want To Kill My Movie — Fathia Balogun Laments ‘Efunroye’ Treatment

They Want To Kill My Movie — Fathia Balogun Laments ‘Efunroye’ Treatment

 

Nollywood actress and filmmaker Fathia Balogun has lamented over what she describes as unfair treatment of her latest movie, Efunroye, by cinemas across Nigeria, accusing some operators of deliberately frustrating the film’s performance weeks after its release.

During an emotional Instagram Live session, the actress complained that her movie was not getting adequate showtimes in several cinemas despite the huge investment and effort put into the production.

Fathia questioned why other movies appeared to enjoy better scheduling and visibility while Efunroye continued to struggle for favourable screening times in different cinema locations across the country.

Her debut cinematic project as a producer, ‘Efunroye: The Unicorn’ , hit cinemas nationwide on May 1, 2026. The historical epic about Madam Efunroye Tinubu has drawn major social media buzz and box office attention, but it has also thrust her into a wider, ongoing industry clash between Nollywood filmmakers and cinema exhibitors over screening schedules.

According to her, many cinemas could not give convincing explanations for the lack of showtimes allocated to the movie, a situation she said has greatly affected audience turnout and box office performance.

The actress explained that she expected stronger support from cinema operators, especially considering the cultural value, storytelling depth, and production quality of the movie.

Speaking during the live session, she said the situation had become painful because the film had not even spent up to one month in cinemas before talks of removing it from screenings allegedly began.

“I haven’t even made the money invested in this movie back and they are already trying to kick me out of cinemas,” she said during the session.

In a video released on Friday, May 29, 2026, on her Instagram page, Fathia called out cinema operators for not giving her movie a favourable time slot that would allow her fans to watch it.

She expressed deep disappointment, stating that cinemas appear to be pushing her film aside in favour of newer releases.

“Matvey Safonov my movie got to the cinemas, I have been complaining about this thing over and over. My fans come to the cinema to watch Efunroye and they find out the time slot is 12pm or 9pm. Which fans will come and watch movies at this time,” she said.

“We just celebrated Ileya and these holidays are the best time to showcase my movie but my fans were not allowed to watch the movie. I am sad about this. Later they will say your movie did not sell out when it’s the operators that did not give the movie a good time slot. I want my fans to note that I’ll continue to sound this out until we are done and they should come out and enjoy my movie,” she added.

The actress explained that the Ileya festive period is typically a time when many people save money specifically to watch movies, making the alleged scheduling issues particularly painful for her return on investment.

Fathia also disclosed that the poor scheduling had affected opportunities for the actors to meet fans and promote the movie physically. She expressed deep disappointment that cinemas were pushing her film aside because newer releases had entered the market.

“Some cinemas are not even giving me time at all,” she said. “By the time they give me stupid showtime and I cannot cope, I’ll leave. That’s what they want to do.”

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Fathia also alleged that some of her actors were turned away during planned meet-and-greet sessions at cinemas because of the film’s scheduling.

She warned that if the movie is eventually removed from cinemas, she may publicly reveal the person she believes is behind the situation.

“I suffered for that movie, I spent a lot on that movie,” she said. In another emotional appeal on Friday, she opened up further about the financial weight of the production.

“I’m heartbroken, and I have never done this before. But because this involves millions of naira, I have to cry out to my fans and ask them to plead on my behalf,” she said.

“I have been having issues with the showtime for my movie. Cinemas are trying to kill this movie, and I don’t know why. This is the Ileya period when people usually come out to watch movies, yet they are giving me poor showtimes.”

“I spent a lot of money on this movie. I borrowed money, and investors are involved too. They need to make their money back,” she added.

She further complained about the specific timings: “Because my movie is four weeks old, they are giving me terrible showtimes. Some movies just came out, and they want to push mine to the background. They give me showtimes like 12 noon. I don’t know who goes to the cinema by 12 noon. Then they give me 9 p.m. showtimes. I also don’t know who goes out to watch movies that late.”

This has not been the experience of Fathia alone, as filmmakers releasing independent or indigenous projects frequently encounter structural friction with cinema chains.

The core grievance centres around prime-time allocation. Instead of landing heavily trafficked afternoon and early evening slots (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM), independent producers often find their films pushed into dead zones, making it difficult for the average viewer to attend due to safety and transport constraints.

Producers argue that these unfavourable times create a self-fulfilling prophecy as poor time slots lead to empty halls, which cinema operators then use as an excuse to pull the movie from rotation entirely.

Ini Edo and Toyin Abraham, filmmakers, had openly accused cinema operators of deliberate sabotage and unfair showtime distributions during peak holiday windows, pointing out that being restricted to single, off-peak slots severely damages their return on investment.

Conversely, cinema executives and industry pioneers like Mo Abudu have pushed back against these complaints. The operators maintain that screen allocation is strictly a demand-driven, cold business decision. Running air conditioning and staffing a 100-seater hall for only two or three viewers loses money, meaning prime-time slots will always naturally gravitate toward the films pulling the highest immediate numbers.

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Speaking on Arise Television, Abudu explained, “When your film is in our cinema and it has no audience, and I am running air conditioning and paying staff, and you only have two or three people in a 100-seater cinema, by the next week we are going to have a conversation. That time slot can no longer really work.”

She stressed that these decisions are not personal, noting that even her daughter’s film was pulled due to low turnout.

“This is about return on investment. It does not matter who owns the film. If I, Mo Abudu, make a film and we are not able to fill up the seats, it’s going to give way to the next film that can,” she said.

“Efunroye: The Unicorn” is a Yoruba historical drama centred on the life of 19th-century businesswoman and political figure Madam Efunroye Tinubu. The movie features actors including Odunlade Adekola and Mercy Aigbe. The film is directed by the trio of Abbey Lanre, Adebayo Tijani and Tope Adebayo Salami, and tells the rise and peak of the 19th-century Yoruba legend who fought against Britain’s annexation of Lagos.

Starring alongside Fathia is an extensive ensemble cast such as Odunlade Adekola, Mercy Aigbe, Ibrahim Yekini, Foluke Daramola and Femi Adebayo.

The film reportedly opened strongly at the box office, earning about ₦29.5 million during its first weekend, coming second in its debut week despite facing stiff competition from other new releases.

Another report suggested the movie earned nearly ₦780 million within three weeks and emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the period, drawing praise from movie lovers, critics, and cinema audiences for its powerful storytelling and rich cultural representation.

However, these figures have not been independently verified, and the actress’s complaints suggest that actual performance may vary significantly by location.

The emotional outburst has since generated heated conversations on social media, with many Nigerians expressing sympathy for the actress while criticising what they described as the unequal treatment of indigenous productions.

Some supporters argued that epic and culturally rooted movies often struggle for visibility compared to commercially driven productions, despite contributing significantly to the growth of Nollywood storytelling.

However, some social media users defended the cinemas, arguing that scheduling is based purely on demand. One user, @EmediongTG, commented: “Actually, Cinemas don’t sabotage movies, they only care about ticket sales. If a cinema keeps giving you midnight slots, it usually means your daytime shows were empty. Blaming people is just a distraction from low demand.”

Another user, @Beniwinn, offered a middle ground: “Midnight showtimes for a Nigerian movie is basically a silent burial… if what she’s saying is true then somebody in that industry is seriously playing dirty. Why not just give the film a fair shot and let audience decide?”

@mr_chiboi added: “Omo this industry no dey ever simple … but at the same time, these are serious allegations that deserve proper clarity, not just emotions. Hopefully everything gets addressed the right way, because audiences just want fair access to the movie and a clean system overall.”

The actress, however, did not name any cinema chain, but continued to promote the film on her social media pages since its release, describing it as one of the most important productions of her career.

Some Instagram users said they could not find the film showing in certain cinemas, even after trying to watch it, while others said the available screening times were too late and not convenient.

“Efunroye: The Unicorn” had already generated significant controversy before its cinema release. The film is based on the life of Madam Efunroye Tinubu, a 19th-century Yoruba merchant and political figure whose legacy remains widely debated in Nigerian history, particularly regarding her involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. The production attracted public discussion since its announcement because of how it portrays her life.

Some critics questioned the portrayal, and Fathia responded that the film was not intended to “glorify or whitewash” Efunroye Tinubu’s legacy, but to present a broader interpretation of her life and historical impact.

The award-winning actress described the movie as “a work of artistic interpretation and storytelling”.

Despite the challenges, Fathia remains determined to ensure the film gets a fair chance. “They’re pushing my film aside because there are new films. They’re saying there’s nothing special in me and I was selling. Now they’re giving me ridiculous showtimes that don’t allow people to watch.”

“If they don’t give Efunroye showtime because of this, I’ll come out with an interview,” she warned, adding that she would also invoke divine judgment on those allegedly working against her project.

They Want To Kill My Movie — Fathia Balogun Laments ‘Efunroye’ Treatment