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In Nollywood, finishing a film is only half the story; the harder part begins when the lights come on. Between producers chasing viral moments and distributors trying to fill cinema seats, the journey from script to screen is a gamble of strategy, taste, and timing. Few people understand that delicate dance better than Victoria Ogar, Head of Distribution at FilmOne Entertainment, one of Nigeria’s biggest film distributors. In a candid conversation, Ogar broke down the real economics of Nollywood, how distributors decide which films make it to cinemas, why some titles never recoup their budgets, and what separates a commercial hit from a creative heartbreak. Her insights reveal not just how the industry works, but why many filmmakers struggle to turn passion projects into profitable ventures.ALSO READ: Nigeria Film Crew Community Speaks Out Against Bullying and Abuse on Set What Happens When Your Film Goes Viral? We started with a simple question: what happens when a film suddenly catches fire online? “When a film goes viral, it means the film has already been released,” Ogar explained. “So for us to pick it up from there, then it means that we are the distributors. You can’t pick up a film you don’t have rights to.” But she also made a key distinction: there’s a difference between a film that’s gone viral because of a marketing campaign and one that’s already out in the world. “If a film hasn’t been released and it’s going viral from promotion, that’s a different conversation,” she said. “But once it’s out, it’s already under distribution, and whoever owns that right controls what happens next.” How FilmOne Decides Which Films to Distribute Getting your film distributed by FilmOne isn’t automatic. The company receives countless submissions every year, and only a few make the cut. According to Ogar, it starts with a preview copy. “We would watch the film and look out for certain criteria,” she said. “First is the story, does it have strength? Are the actors commercial enough? Is the duration good for cinema showtimes?” Duration, surprisingly, plays a big role. “The longer your film, the fewer showtimes you get,” she explained. “Especially in a busy landscape where multiple films are competing for screens. So we always advise that a Nollywood film should stay under 90 minutes, or at most one hour 45 minutes. Anything above two hours becomes a stretch.” Then comes the story’s marketability. “Some good films can’t sell,” she said matter-of-factly. “Because they don’t speak to the cinema audience. The cinema audience likes something spicy, exciting, and fun. If your film doesn’t speak to that, it’s difficult to put it in cinemas and expect a return that covers your production budget.” In other words, not every great film is a cinema film.READ THIS: Other Ways Nollywood Can Depict Romance Without Kissing What Makes a Film “Commercial”? Commercial, in Ogar’s world, doesn’t mean shallow; it means marketable. “Sometimes a producer just wants to tell a story and isn’t focused on making money,” she said. “But most producers expect to make money. So we look at the subject matter, is it too heavy? Does it speak to a particular culture? Does it go against the country’s values or moral codes? Because we also have a censorship board that can stop a film from being released.” Beyond the story, FilmOne assesses technical quality. “We look at production quality, camera angles, technicality, and sound." "Is the audio good? Is it fixable in post-production? Because you can’t bring a film to the cinema that looks like it was shot for YouTube. When you say big screen, everything should be big about it. It can’t be big screen and small things.” That last line sums up the FilmOne philosophy: cinema demands scale.READ THIS: FilmOne Entertainment reaffirms credibility of Nigeria Box Office Rankings 2024 How Films Actually Make Money Once a film hits cinemas, how does the money flow? “The ability to exploit the film across multiple platforms,” Ogar said. “We have different windows and cycles in terms of monetisation.” First comes theatrical release, the traditional route. After that, the film can be licensed to other platforms like In-Flight Entertainment, streaming services, TV networks, or even festivals. “In-Flight is one of the means,” she said. “When you’re flying and you watch a Nollywood film, that’s a deal. Another is S-VOD, subscription video on demand, like Netflix or Prime Video. Everybody wants that because they pay the highest. Those deals often help producers break even.” However, she noted that streaming deals are not revenue shares; they’re usually licensing fees paid upfront. “They give you money up front, and they’re not sharing anything with you. That’s if you get a Netflix or Prime deal.” And if you don’t? “Then you look for smaller streaming platforms,” she continued. “There are quite a few now, like Kava, a streaming platform for African titles, powered by the Filmhouse Group and Inkblot."EXPLORE THIS: 'If you position any film well, Nigerians will watch' — Filmone official says The Long Game of Film Exploitation For Ogar, a film’s earning potential doesn’t end with its first release. “Distributing a film has no manual,” she said. “You can’t say, ‘I’ll make all my money in two years.’ It’s an unending cycle. You keep exploiting the film as long as you can find platforms to buy it.” Some titles, she added, are still making money ten years after release. “Because of the availability of platforms, a good film can keep earning. You just have to keep finding new spaces to show it.”ALSO READ: Genevieve Nnaji accuses FilmOne, other cinema distributors of refusing to distribute 'Lionheart' The Harsh Reality of Cinema Earnings Then there’s the question that every filmmaker dreads: how much do you need to make at the box office to break even? “The only way to break even is to make back your production cost, and then anything above that is profit,” she explained. “But that doesn’t mean that if your film made ₦200 million at the box office, you’ve made ₦200 million. That money is shared.” Every week, cinemas and distributors share revenue based on a set formula. “The cinema takes its percentage based on its agreement with the distributor,” she said. “Then the distributor takes their share, and whatever remains goes to the producer.” So if you spent ₦200 million and earned ₦200 million at the box office, you’ve not broken even. “Because that ₦200 million is shared among stakeholders before it gets to you,” she clarified.READ: Nigeria Film Crew Community Speaks Out Against Bullying and Abuse on Set Why Some Cinemas Reject Films, Even From FilmOne One of the most surprising revelations from Ogar’s interview is that even Filmhouse Cinemas, which operates under the same parent group as FilmOne, can reject films distributed by FilmOne Entertainment. “They’re under the same group but operate independently,” she emphasised. “FilmOne is a distributor; Filmhouse is an exhibitor. I can take a film to all cinemas, Filmhouse, Genesis, Silverbird, EbonyLife, and any of them can say, ‘I’m not booking this film.’” Why? Because it’s business. “If a film doesn’t speak to their target audience or can’t meet their revenue expectations, they have the right to reject it,” she said. “Every cinema has bills to pay. So if I give them a film that won’t convert to Naira in their pocket, they can say no.” When that happens, FilmOne adjusts its strategy. “We go back to the producer and say, ‘These cinemas have declined to book your film, but here are the ones that have.’ Then we promote the film accordingly, sometimes you’ll see an ad that says Now showing in selected cinemas. That’s what it means.” It’s a delicate dance, balancing the producer’s expectations, the audience’s interests, and the exhibitors’ business goals.ALSO READ: Why Every Filmmaker Should Submit to AFRIFF (Even if You’re Just Starting Out) It’s a Business, Not Sentiment What Ogar makes clear throughout the conversation is that film distribution isn’t driven by emotion or friendship; it’s business. “You can’t say because FilmOne and Filmhouse are under the same umbrella, they must take all our films,” she said. “No. They also have to pay staff, pay rent, and make a profit. It’s a business. The film has to make sense financially.” That honesty is refreshing and sobering. It’s a reminder that for all Nollywood’s artistic passion, sustainability depends on structure, quality, and strategy.READ: 10 Ways to Survive Drama on Set Without Losing Your Mind or Film More Insights Victoria Ogar’s insights pull back the curtain on the less glamorous side of filmmaking: distribution, the make-or-break phase that decides whether your film survives or sinks. From selecting the right story and runtime to negotiating streaming deals and managing rejection, Ogar paints a vivid picture of an ecosystem built on both art and arithmetic. As she put it simply: “Releasing a film has no manual. You keep exploiting the film for as long as you can. Because even ten years later, a good film can still make you money.” As Ogar puts it, film distribution has no manual, only momentum. A good film, she says, can keep earning for years if it’s positioned right. But the bigger truth is that Nollywood’s sustainability depends on structure as much as creativity. The dream may start on set, but the business begins in the boardroom. Because in the end, even in an industry built on imagination, profit still determines who gets to tell the next story.RECOMMENDED: Funke Akindele Won’t Be Playing Lead in Her Upcoming December Film
