Film industry analyst and publisher of Nollywood Mirror Series, Mr. Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, has alluded that the highest grossing Nollywood Box Office movie, “The Wedding Party” may have lost more than US$1million to illegal online streamers.
Ekenyerengozi averred that the said amount is what the producers of the movie “would have made if they also premiered the highly entertaining romantic comedy on the internet before the ‘faster and smarter’ movie pirates did so.”
I have recommended that Nollywood filmmakers can release their movies simultaneously; same time at the cinemas and online. Which Mrs. Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, the Regional Director of M-Net, West Africa also proposed at Tech- Plus 2015,” he said.
According to film enthusiast, “producers can premiere and screen their movies simultaneously on iROKO TV, Linda Ikeji TV, Bella Naija and Naij TV for Pay Per View at N200 or US$1per view,” adding that “with more than 125 million Nigerians in Nigeria and abroad watching videos online, “The Wedding Party” would have attracted many of them to watch it on OTT platforms streaming videos.”
He opined that online streaming is what has made the Co-founder/CEO of iROKO TV the richest man in Nollywood (until my Screen Naija YouTube goes commercial).
“The producers of the part two of “The Wedding Party” will thank me later when they smile to the bank with a bullion van carrying their millions of dollars,” he quipped.