Number of cinemas in Nigeria 2021. by zone

In 2021, there were a total of 68 movie theaters in Nigeria. Most of them were situated in Lagos. Indeed, the South West had around 35 percent of all cinemas in Nigeria. The South-South zone of the country had the second largest number of cinemas. Box office revenue in the South-South states accounted for about 22 percent of all the box office income in Nigeria. Eventually, the North-West and North-East each had only one cinema in 2021.

The success of Nollywood

Nigeria has a huge movie industry and one of the largest worldwide. The main Nigerian cinematography sector is called Nollywood. Nollywood movies were the most valuable productions in anglophone West-Africa (Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana) in 2021, followed by Hollywood. In this region, no film industry releases as many productions as does Nollywood. Among the most successful Nigerian movies in 2021, there are Christmas in Miami, Ghost and the Tout Too, and Prophetess.

Large theaters, high prices

One characteristic of movie theaters in Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana is the size of their facilities. The biggest cinemas in these countries are mostly found in Nigeria and Ghana, while movie theaters in Liberia are quite smaller. Currently, the largest movie theaters are situated in the capital cities of Abuja and Accra, with two Silverbird Cinemas counting around 1.5 thousand and 1.2 thousand seats, respectively. Overall, Silverbird Cinemas belongs together with other companies like Lighthouse, Filmhouse, and Genesis to the largest cinema chains in English-speaking West-Africa. In 2021, the average price for a movie ticket across Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria was 1.45 thousand Naira. The tickets are, in relation to people's average salaries, quite expensive.