Pere Egbi, a popular Nigerian actor and reality TV star, has shared his heartbreaking experience as a movie producer in Nollywood. Pere revealed that he lost over ₦100 million due to challenges in the Nigerian cinema industry.

The actor explained that he personally invested ₦150 million in one of his movies and even borrowed an additional ₦11 million to complete the project. However, the movie’s performance at the box office was disappointing. Pere attributed this failure to unfair practices by cinemas, including hiding films and giving them poor screen time.

His comments came after veteran actor Femi Branch criticized Nigerian cinemas for favoring certain movies over others and other unfair practices affecting filmmakers. Pere echoed these sentiments, lamenting the struggles many producers face in trying to succeed in the industry.

This revelation highlights the pressing need for reforms in Nollywood and Nigerian cinema practices to create a level playing field for all filmmakers.

He stated, “Dear Femi Branch, I came across your video, and I want to say thank you for speaking out on this issue. Every single thing you said is pure facts. Honestly, I was planning to wait until the end of January 2025 before making any moves, but at this point, I’m saying, lets go.

“As for Netflix and prime video, till today, The Silent Intruder is on neither. Story here and there! Over 150 million naira of my personal funds went into making that film. Plus 11 million naira taken from someone who invested.

“Till today I haven’t been able to pay back that person because I haven’t recovered money spent. My film made just 53 million in cinemas and i got just a little over 8 million from it. Netflix I no see, prime video I do see!

“It’s the shit that new producers and many producers like myself have to deal with. I’m still on that fight!”