Biodun Stephen urges Nollywood filmmakers to stop announcing cinema earnings, saying the practice creates pressure and distorts how success is measured
Nollywood actress and filmmaker Biodun Stephen has urged filmmakers to stop publicly announcing their cinema earnings, arguing that the practice creates unnecessary pressure and encourages a narrow definition of success in the industry.
Stephen made the comments during an appearance on the Paul & Baaj: In Character podcast, where she questioned the growing practice of publicising how much films make at the box office.
According to the filmmaker, constantly announcing cinema figures can make other actors and filmmakers feel pressured to replicate the same results without understanding the work, strategy and circumstances behind a film’s performance.
“I think that we really should do away with the announcements. I feel like this is a distraction, and it puts pressure on those other people who feel as if that is the determinant and that’s how you determine my success,” she said.
Stephen compared the trend to the rush to imitate a business that appears successful without understanding what made it work.
She said filmmakers should be careful about copying trends simply because another person has achieved commercial success through them.
“Somebody starts selling slippers and people are rushing to buy slippers, the next one is going to sell slippers because they think that slippers sell, meanwhile they don’t understand what you have put in to ensure the slipper sells,” she said.
The filmmaker acknowledged that ambition and the desire for greater achievements were important but argued that international recognition should not become the immediate measure of success for Nigerian entertainers.
“It’s great to hunger for more, but I always say, have you even conquered Nigeria that you can stand and say that if I go to Kano they know me as an actor?” she asked.
Her comments come amid growing attention to cinema box-office figures in Nollywood, with filmmakers and actors increasingly celebrating the commercial performance of their productions.
While such figures can demonstrate audience interest and commercial performance, Stephen’s argument centres on the need for filmmakers to define success beyond earnings alone.
She also suggested that entertainers should focus on building strong local audiences and establishing themselves within Nigeria before placing excessive emphasis on international recognition.
Stephen’s remarks have added to the wider conversation about commercial success, audience reach and the pressures facing filmmakers in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving film industry.
