Number of cinemas in Nigeria 2022. by zone
In 2022, there were a total of 81 movie theaters in Nigeria. Most of them were situated in Lagos. Indeed, the South West had around 57 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 19 percent of all the box office income in Nigeria. Eventually, the North-East had only one cinema in 2022.
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 2022, there are Brotherhood, King of Thieves, Battle on Buka Street, and Ijakumo.
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 1,980 and 1,220 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 2022, the average price for a movie ticket across Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria was 2,177 Naira. The tickets are, in relation to people's average salaries, quite expensive.
