Nollywood actress and filmmaker Biodun Stephen has criticized the trend of publicly announcing cinema earnings.
Appearing on the Paul & Baaj: In Character podcast, Stephen urged her peers to refrain from sharing box office figures, arguing that it creates undue pressure within the industry and fosters a narrow definition of success.
Stephen described the practice as a distraction, questioning why some actors and filmmakers are eager to seek international acclaim before establishing a strong local presence.
I think we really should do away with the announcements. It’s a distraction and puts pressure on others who then feel that box office earnings are the sole measure of success,” she said.
She illustrated her point with an analogy: “Somebody starts selling slippers and people rush to buy them. The next person jumps in to sell slippers too, thinking it’s easy, without understanding the effort that went into making them successful.”
Stephen concluded by emphasizing the importance of local recognition: “It’s great to hunger for more, but as I always say, have you even conquered Nigeria to the extent that you can say if you go to Kano, people know you as an actor?”
Source: PM News
