Pere Egbi calls out cinemas over favouritism

Pere Egbi, former Big Brother Naija star turned actor and producer, isn’t holding back as he takes a bold stance against cinemas in Nigeria over favouritism.

The actor, who recently ventured into filmmaking with ‘The Silent Intruder’, expressed his frustration over what he described as “nonsense favouritism” by some cinemas.

On December 31, 2024, he released a post detailing the harm cinemas caused him after the release of his film production, ‘The Silent Intruder’.

His post came after Femi Branch shared a video on Instagram on December 30, 2024, condemning favouritism by Nigerian cinemas for promoting one film above others.

READ ALSO: Femi Branch criticises cinemas for favouritism

Pere revealed that he poured his heart, soul, and most importantly, his bank account into ‘The Silent Intruder’. According to him, the production cost over N200 million, including N150 million from his own pocket and another N11 million borrowed from a friend in London. Yet, despite the high stakes, he alleged that cinemas “hid” his film and gave it poor screening times.

He also noted that he had wanted to let it slide for fear of being blacklisted, but as he could no longer hold it in, he decided to speak up.

First, it was Femi Branch, and now Pere Egbi. Are the allegations true?
As of now, no Nigerian cinemas have come out publicly to address the situation or confirm the accuracy of the claims.

However, a balance of fairness rather than favouritism should be the watchword for both filmmakers and cinemas, nationally and globally.