By Emmanuel Daniji

Nollywood filmmaker Biodun Stephen has urged her colleagues to stop making public announcements about how much their movies earn at the cinema, saying the practice puts unnecessary pressure on other filmmakers and creates the wrong idea of success in the industry.

Stephen shared her views during an appearance on the Paul & Baaj: In Character podcast, where she questioned the growing attention given to box office figures and the pressure filmmakers may feel to match the earnings of other productions.

According to her, constantly publicising cinema earnings can make other filmmakers believe that a movie’s success is determined only by how much money it makes. She argued that this could push people into copying whatever appears to be working for others without understanding the effort, planning and resources behind the success.

“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.

To explain her point, Stephen compared the situation to someone starting a business selling slippers simply because another person is making money from it. She noted that people may rush to follow a trend without understanding what it takes to make the business successful.

For her, filmmakers should be careful not to measure their progress only by the figures being announced by their colleagues. Different films have different budgets, audiences, marketing strategies and levels of support, and these factors can influence their performance at the cinema.

Stephen also questioned the rush among some entertainers to seek international recognition before establishing a strong following within Nigeria.

“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 have brought attention to an ongoing conversation in Nollywood about box office records, competition and how success should be measured.

While cinema earnings can help investors and audiences understand a film’s commercial performance, Stephen’s argument is that the figures should not become the only standard by which filmmakers judge themselves or their colleagues.

Her position also raises a question for the industry: beyond the numbers announced after a cinema release, how should the quality of a film, its audience reach and its lasting impact be measured?