Moses Babatope has spent almost 25 years shaping how Nollywood reaches its audience. He remains one of the most influential figures in African theatrical exhibition, a distribution executive whose fingerprints are on the modern premiere culture that now defines Nigerian box office windows. From late-night screenings of Lagos titles in London in the mid-2000s to multiple billion-naira blockbusters in Nigeria, Babatope has been a consistent advocate for cinema as a communal experience, not a niche luxury.
Following his exit from Filmhouse Group, he now leads Nile Media Entertainment Group. His next chapter is focused on expanding cinema access, scaling screens into new domestic and international territories, and testing alternative theatrical models in a market that some say is moving exclusively to streaming. Babatope disagrees. He sees endless runway and believes the global play for African film IP will accelerate only through theatrical visibility. In this Q&A, he speaks about market correction, the future of audience behaviour, and why cinematic culture in Nigeria still matters at scale.
It depends on the lens through which ‘travelling’ is defined. If we are talking strictly from a commercial perspective, the evidence doesn’t suggest a lot of global traction, not at scale, at least not yet.
However, if we look at it from a critical or intellectual lens, the prestige [arthouse] films are the ones that are truly travelling. The clearest evidence is in the festival selections: Oscar-qualifying festivals and respected top-tier circuits.
In the last three years, there’s been a consistency and a formula emerging, Stitches at Toronto this year [Industry Select at #TIFF50], Freedom Way before that, Lizard and Mami Wata at Sundance, My Father’s Shadow [at Cannes] which sparked interesting debates about nationality this year, and titles that have made Venice and Locarno. The prestige pipeline is what is actually crossing borders right now.
You have been in distribution longer than most people in this ecosystem. In your actual lived experience , what kind of African film is truly travelling internationally right now?
It depends on the lens through which ‘travelling’ is defined. If we are talking strictly from a commercial perspective, the evidence doesn’t suggest a lot of global traction, not at scale, at least not yet.
However, if we look at it from a critical or intellectual lens, the prestige [arthouse] films are the ones that are truly travelling. The clearest evidence is in the festival selections: Oscar-qualifying festivals and respected top-tier circuits.
In the last three years, there’s been a consistency and a formula emerging, Stitches at Toronto this year [Industry Select at #TIFF50], Freedom Way before that, Lizard and Mami Wata at Sundance, My Father’s Shadow [at Cannes] which sparked interesting debates about nationality this year, and titles that have made Venice and Locarno. The prestige pipeline is what is actually crossing borders right now.
Agreed. Festival heat is not the same as market/commercial heat. When a film premieres well at TIFF, Berlin, AFRIFF or FESPACO, what is the ONE clear next step a producer must take to convert that attention into sales?
After a strong premiere, you cannot rely on the festival halo alone. You need a post-market PR push to keep the film talkable internationally, then immediately follow up with the sales agents and distributors who expressed interest during the festival window. And once it’s clear the festival run is winding down and you’ve explored those conversations, lock in a theatrical release in your home territory.
What is the biggest mistake Nigerian producers still make when approaching distributors/sales agents. The mistake that instantly tells you they are not commercially ready?
There are a few. Producing a film in a genre that is not popular in the market e.g sci-fi, local horror. Desperately giving films to Sales agents and distributors that do not know the content or it’s primary buyers. Expecting the distributor to carry the burden of marketing without any input or contribution of the filmmaker.
What is the most reliable revenue window today: African theatrical, diaspora theatrical, pay TV, or platform licensing? And how has that shifted in the last 24 months?
Platform licensing offers significant advantages when budget and audience base align, particularly for continental deals. The potential for higher first-window or PAY-1 deals compared to local players makes it an attractive option. However, given the limited number of titles selected for platform launches, this window may not be sustainable or realistic for all productions.
Pundits love to say “cinema in Nigeria is dying.” What does your data actually show? Which genres and titles are still pulling people into cinemas in 2025, and why?
It is inaccurate to say cinema in Nigeria is dying. The two key indicators, total tickets sold and total box office value, are both significantly up in 2025. That is the data.
However, let’s be honest: we are still not back to 2019 levels. It would be delusional to pretend the sector hasn’t taken hits. The pandemic and the rise of streaming reshaped audience behaviour most aggressively in this market.
So yes, there has been disruption. But a decline narrative is simply not supported by the numbers. The box office is growing again. Audiences are returning.
Certain genres still perform, we are seeing reliable traction around comedy, event films, and core crowd-pleasers tied to familiar stars.
You have said in the past that you believe a Nigerian title can cross 5 million dollars worldwide. Practically, what does that number look like? What mix of territories or windows makes that possible in real life?
I firmly believe that achieving $5 million in global box office revenue within the next five years is possible with our Independent Theatrical Distribution Strategy. This strategy focuses on key commercial elements, including compelling storytelling, strategic casting, high-quality production, and bold, well-targeted P&A. By targeting specific diaspora markets, we can achieve significant returns without requiring a global release.
Our estimated breakdown for a film with strong commercial appeal is as follows:
- English West Africa: $1.2 million (approximately 343,000 tickets at $3-$4 per ticket).
- French West Africa: $150,000 (approximately 37,500 tickets at $4 per ticket)
- Rest of Africa: $350,000 (approximately 87,500 tickets at $4 per ticket)
- UK & Ireland: $750,000 (approximately 50,000 tickets at $15 per ticket)
- North America & the Caribbean: $2 million (approximately 133,333 tickets at $15 per ticket)
- Rest of Europe: $250,000 (approximately 16,667 tickets at $15 per ticket)
- Australasia: $100,000 (approximately 6,667 tickets at $15 per ticket)
- Middle East and Asia: $200,000 (approximately 13,333 tickets at $15 per ticket)
With a production budget of under $1 million and a print and advertising (P&A) budget of $200,000 to $350,000, we can achieve a theatrical surplus with a net global box office (GBO) of 30-35%. To reach $5 million in GBO, we'd need to sell fewer than 660,000 tickets, which is achievable given the potential of our target markets.
And what category of story (tonally / genre-wise) do you believe has the best odds of being that first Nigerian theatrical title to hit that benchmark?
Stories that show the beauty and color of our culture and tradition. A big, glossy culture-forward wedding film that compares in technical production value in the vein of Crazy Rich Asians would be well received beyond the Nigerian community. We have seen a range of viral social media videos that are about the gloss and glamour of a Nigerian wedding.
I strongly believe a well-executed modern faith-based crowd-pleaser that incorporates cameos of celebrated preachers and infuses popular Nigerian Gospel music can mobilise church networks and become a major theatrical hit.
Then of course an Afrobeats film in the cadre of 8 Mile or Straight Outta Compton can be a major success if the musical component is just as right as the story and the technical execution. This won’t be about featuring Afrobeats star in a film, it should be about Afrobeats being the star of the movie and the soundtrack album being as desirable as the movie.
When you look at a new project, what is the first commercial signal that tells you there is real value? Is it the logline, the comps, the cast, the mood reel, or the director/producer track record?
I like to come in at the pitch-deck and script-development stage. We begin with creative evaluation, the quality of the logline and tag line, the strength of the synopses (short and long ), the solidity of the outline or treatment, the script’s plot, characterisation, relatability, pace and any censorship risk, plus the overall pitch-deck and packaging, then layer the economic assessment once those pass.
What trend in the data is surprising you most right now, something you are already seeing in your numbers that the wider industry may not have caught up to yet?
The current SVOD playbook isn’t built for Africa’s scale or economics and will not unlock Africa’s audience opportunity.
Until we make Africa work commercially for our films, we will be feasting on crumbs from the West.
In real terms, which African territories outside Nigeria are most receptive to Nollywood? And what is misunderstood about Francophone West Africa as a theatrical market? What country has the most potential but is still untapped?
The Francophone territories – In no particular order the border countries of Cameroon and Benin, then Togo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Congo Brazzaville. A lot of people think the Francophone West African Theatrical Market is huge whereas it is only made up of a handful of single screen locations and only a few countries with 1 or 2 multiplexes. The total combined annual box office of Francophone West Africa is about 10% of Lagos’ annual box office. The 2 countries have the most potential but they lack cinema infrastructure, they are
Congo DRC & Ethiopia. Both with distinct cultural identity but also huge populations.
What genre of African story is undervalued right now, but if done correctly, could be the next major export product?
African Horror if well executed. African Sci-fi if well reimagined and contextualised.
