The Nigerian Cinema Industry Lost 6 Billion Naira in Revenue As A Result of The COVID-19 Pandemic
The Chairman of the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN, Mr Patrick Lee appealed to the State and Federal Government to see to the reopening of Cinema houses across the country as the industry has recorded the lost of N6 Billion due to the ravaging global pandemic, COVID-19.
He made this appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, August 21, 2020 in Lagos. Mr Patrick Lee noted that most staff of the industry are jobless and the industry kept losing N1 Billion on a monthly basis.
Addressing NAN, Mr. Patrick Lee said, “Most of our staff are currently unemployed and there are also over 20,000 people that depend on the industry in terms of supplies to the industry and those who work with Nollywood and artisans. We are at the point of bankruptcy, we want government to help us to reopen because we have been locked down for six months now and it is really disheartening.”
He also added that when the cinemas are reopened the association will see to it that there is hygienic practices – the use of hand sanitizers and face masks and the cinemas will be occupied by 50 per cent giving room for social distancing.
In the same vein, he expressed that Cinemas should be classified under the media industry and not the creative industry as the Cinemas provide platform for the exhibition of movies.
Calling on investors to show interest in the Cinema Industry, Mr Patrick Lee said, “With 58 cinemas and 200 screens across the nation, 800 screens in South Africa, 4,000 screens in the United Kingdom, 10,000 screens in India and China, Nigeria needs lots of investment in the cinema industry. He add that, “We do not have enough screens to exhibit the content that we are creating in this country and we want more investment, help from government to put investments in place and have a very vibrant industry.”
