Nollywood filmmaker and actress Bolaji Ogunmola has attributed the surge in Nigerian movies on YouTube to the country’s poor film distribution network.
Speaking in a recent interview, Ogunmola noted that Nigeria is currently the only country where filmmakers heavily rely on YouTube for primary movie releases. She argued that this trend is a direct result of the lack of proper channels for films to reach the wider public.
While the platform has become a go-to for many, the actress described it as a risky and expensive alternative. She explained that YouTube was never originally designed to support the high costs of film production, making it difficult for producers to recover their investments.
“Film is a very expensive art. Actors are collecting N4 million to N5 million for four days. The least is maybe N1 million to N2 million,” she said.
Ogunmola also pointed out that high view counts on the platform often give a false impression of wealth.
She explained that many fans mistakenly believe filmmakers are making huge profits, whereas the high cost of talent and production often swallows the earnings.
She urged critics to be more considerate when reviewing YouTube movies, reminding them that even projects that do not meet certain standards still require significant financial funding to create.
