Theatres and cinemas all over Nigeria have a large collection of American films that are shown daily. So we wonder if the reverse ever happens in the US?
Out of the 15 000 films made in Nigeria every year, does the cinemas in the US ever show any? Does the average American ever find time to go to the cinemas to watch Nollywood movies?
Best guess is, Nigerian movies that premiere in US theatres or are released in film festivals in the US, probably go unnoticed.
Why Nigerian movies are hardly seen in the US theatres
The foreign film market in the US is generally small, and it only appeals to a small group of people. Nollywood movies are not exactly the Marvel movies or are they as good as ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, they are simply Nollywood movies.
They are made with less than half the budget of a blockbuster Hollywood movie and therefore may have irregularities. However, we think that movie lovers in America have set their expectations high.
They want to make sure that the movies they pay to watch are worth their time and money. Many Americans claim that they hardly understand foreign films, the humour or the message they are trying to pass.
As a result of that, going for a movie from Nigeria or other countries will be risky. Some Americans also say that movies from other countries sometimes have no subtitles and also carry odd themes.
They don’t want to spend time studying the various intricacies of foreign culture in order to understand what the film is about.
So it is easier to watch something that’s American when they go to the movies rather than Nollywood movies or any other foreign films.
Consequently, theatres have to make money and would rather go with what the majority of Americans want if they want.
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