Actress and producer Fathia Williams has accused some cinemas of frustrating the screening of her film Efunroye: The Unicorn.
In a video shared online, Fathia said some cinemas were giving the film late night and midday screening times instead of more suitable daytime slots, which she said was affecting audience turnout.
“Some cinemas are not even giving me time at all,” she said. “By the time they give me stupid showtime and I cannot cope, I’ll leave. That’s what they want to do.”
She said the situation has also affected planned cinema appearances by members of the cast.
Fathia said she invested heavily in the film and insisted she would not abandon it.
“I suffered for that movie, I spent a lot on that movie,” she said.
She also claimed that some cast members were turned away during scheduled meet and greet sessions because of the screening arrangement.
In another video shared on Friday, she appealed to fans for support and expressed frustration over the film’s performance in cinemas.
She said, “I’m heartbroken, and I have never done this before. But because this involves millions of naira, I have to cry out to my fans and ask them to plead on my behalf.
“I have been having issues with the showtime for my movie. Cinemas are trying to kill this movie, and I don’t know why. This is the Ileya period when people usually come out to watch movies, yet they are giving me poor showtimes.
“I spent a lot of money on this movie. I borrowed money, and investors are involved too. They need to make their money back.
“Because my movie is four weeks old, they are giving me terrible showtimes. Some movies just came out, and they want to push mine to the background. They give me showtimes like 12 noon. I don’t know who goes to the cinema by 12 noon. Then they give me 9 p.m. showtimes. I also don’t know who goes out to watch movies that late.”
Efunroye: The Unicorn is a Yoruba historical drama inspired by the life of Madam Efunroye Tinubu. The film stars actors including Odunlade Adekola and Mercy Aigbe. It premiered in cinemas nationwide on May 1.
Cinema operators in Nigeria typically schedule films based on audience demand, distribution agreements and box office performance. However, filmmakers have continued to raise concerns about access to favourable screening times, especially for independent productions.
Similar concerns were previously raised by filmmaker Toyin Abraham, who has also spoken about challenges around cinema distribution and film visibility in the industry.
