Dr. Ope Banwo, has weighed in on the ongoing debate over Nollywood film promotion, insisting that cinema success is determined by market forces, not personal taste or artistic ego.
Omotola Jelade-Ekehinde and Ope Banwo
Banwo’s comments follow recent criticisms by Nollywood veterans, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Kunle Afolayan, who questioned the growing use of social media skits, dance trends, and unconventional promotional tactics by some filmmakers ahead of cinema releases.
According to Banwo, the debate has been wrongly framed as a conversation about dignity and class, when it is, in reality, an economic issue driven by audience behaviour, visibility, and return on investment.
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“The cinema market does not reward pride; it rewards presence,” Banwo stated. “What fills seats is not pedigree or past glory, but attention, relevance, and reach.”
He argued that many respected Nollywood figures are still operating with an outdated Idumota-era mindset, where marketing was largely handled by distributors and marketers, and producers were insulated from the commercial risks of film promotion.
“In today’s cinema economy, producers are no longer shielded from market realities,” he said. “You either sell your film directly to audiences or you fail in public. There is no middle ground.”
Banwo maintained that dismissing modern promotional strategies as “undignified” reflects a refusal to engage with the economics of today’s entertainment market, where attention is currency and visibility determines revenue.
He further challenged the notion that avoiding cinemas in favour of streaming platforms is a mark of creative superiority, describing such moves as risk avoidance rather than artistic principle.
“Netflix pre-sales are not box-office victories,” Banwo noted. “They remove risk, but they also remove proof of market demand. Cinema success is the ultimate stress test.”
Citing producers like Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, Banwo said consistent box-office performers understand that marketing is not about ego, but about survival in a competitive market.
“These filmmakers show up every year, put their money on the line, market aggressively, and let the market judge them,” he said. “That is how industries grow.”
He warned that mocking commercially successful strategies while failing to outperform them financially is a flawed posture.
“If your ‘serious’ marketing cannot translate to ticket sales, then it is not refined—it is ineffective,” Banwo concluded.
According to him, Nollywood’s future will be shaped not by nostalgia or moral judgments about marketing style, but by those willing to understand audience psychology, embrace market realities, and compete openly in the cinema economy.
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