In 2021, the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) made a profit of N4.8 billion from ticket sales.
This was revealed by Mr. Patrick Lee, Chairman of the CEAN, in a statement released on Saturday.
When compared to the N2.1 billion worth of tickets sold in 2020, Mr. Patrick Lee confirmed that the figure indicated a 128.57% rise.
Also, the CEAN Chairman noted that in 2020, there was a significant drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, which resulted in the closure of cinemas.
According to him, total cinema ticket sales in 2019 were N5.9 billion before the pandemic year.
Lee credited increased sales in 2021 to the improving quality of locally produced films across the country, urging filmmakers to keep up the good work.
He went on to say that the association’s increased publicity about the importance of people developing the habit of going to the movies helped.
“We have noticed an upward trend in people going to the cinemas lately, we have done a lot on publicity and it is beginning to pay off.
“We have also noticed that the quality of movies coming into the cinemas is now attracting more people.
“During the Christmas period, we had beautiful movies released to the cinema such as Spiderman and Aki and Paw Paw.
“The quality of movies produced between Christmas period and now are generating a lot of interest.
“We will continue to sensitize the public to the benefits of visiting the cinemas to watch movies on the big screen.”
Efforts were also made, according to Lee, to improve the environment at every cinema across the country while the association also reviewed ticket prices to ensure that customers were getting good value for their money.