Before Producers Blame Sabotage, Ask How Much They Spent on Promotion By Kamal Rahman



Nollywood movie producers spend huge amounts of money on movie production, from casting top actors and actresses, hiring directors and crew members, renting expensive equipment, and post-production processes.


However, when it comes to promotion, that is where many producers suddenly draw the line.


The harsh reality is that no matter how good a movie is, people cannot watch what they do not know exists. Yet many producers allocate only a fraction of their production budget to marketing and publicity. Then, when the movie struggles at the box office, they rush to social media claiming sabotage, blaming cinemas, or even fellow filmmakers for their poor performance.


The truth is that most movies are not sabotaged; they are simply under-promoted.


Hollywood understood this decades ago. Studios often spend as much on marketing as they spend on production because they know visibility drives sales. A great film without awareness is like opening a shop in the middle of a forest and expecting customers to find it.


Take blockbuster films like Avatar. Beyond the massive production budget, billions of impressions were generated through aggressive marketing campaigns, partnerships, media tours, interviews, outdoor advertising, digital campaigns, and strategic publicity. The result was a record-breaking opening weekend that set the tone for its historic box office run.


The same can be said for major studio releases from companies like Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Their first-week performance is rarely accidental. It is usually the result of months of carefully planned promotion designed to build anticipation long before release day.


Even within Nigeria, some of the highest-grossing films have benefited from intentional and aggressive marketing campaigns.

Unfortunately, many producers now believe that posting a few skits, dancing on TikTok, creating artificial controversies, or crying online about alleged sabotage is a substitute for a proper marketing strategy. It is not.


Marketing is not an afterthought. It is part of filmmaking. A producer who spends ₦300 million making a movie but allocates ₦10 million to promotion should not be surprised when cinema attendance falls below expectations.


The audience owes no producer sympathy. Their responsibility is to spend money on entertainment that captures their attention. It is the responsibility of the producer to ensure the movie reaches the audience through effective publicity and strategic promotion.


If producers continue to spend less on proper promotion and choose the easy route which is clowning and dancing on social media, they will continue to cry about not getting sales.


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