Box office dispute: Temple company queries FilmOne’s ‘highest grossing actors’ list, cites Aiyeola’s inaccurate ranking

The Nigerian film industry was abuzz recently when FilmOne, a leading film production and distribution company, released its list of highest grossing actors. However, a leading creative management and production outfit, Temple Company, has drawn attention to inaccuracies in the Box-Office Year Book 2024 curated by cinema distribution company FilmOne.

Describing the report as a veritable opportunity to showcase the economic impact of the film industry, Temple Company, however, faulted the parameters used in arriving at the ranking of her top talent, award-winning Nollywood actress, Bisola Aiyeola, on the fourth spot on the top ten list of “Highest Grossing Female in a Supporting Role.”

In a statement signed by its Head, Media Relations and Public Affairs, Femi Salawu, the unequivocally and urgently call for the reassessment. “We respectfully request a review of the ranking methodology and data aggregation process to ensure accuracy and fairness in representing our industry’s achievements.

“Strategic talent advocacy is part of our service obligation to our clients as strong players in the creative sector. We have an unwavering commitment to represent our talents in the marketplace and ensure that they are fully motivated to continue to give their best. We demand African excellence from ourselves as we do from others and this is why our position is clear on where we stand,” the company affirmed in the statement.

It continued, “of specific concern is the misrepresentation of Bisola Aiyeola’s contributions to the year’s cinematic achievements. Despite delivering compelling performances as Supporting Lead in multiple successful productions, including Everybody Loves Jenifa, Ajosepo, Muri, and Ko, her significant role as Madam Bassey in Everybody Loves Jenifa was notably omitted from her box office aggregation.”

Disputing the dismissal of Aiyeola’s role as “Madam Bassey” in Everybody Loves Jenifa as Supporting Lead, her box-office aggregation, Temple Company stated that the omission is a significant flaw capable of robbing the report of its credibility.

“This omission raises important questions about the methodology employed in the ranking system, particularly the classification criteria between lead and supporting lead roles, the consistency in applying these criteria across all evaluated performances, and the transparency of the data aggregation process.

“The traditional industry standard defines supporting roles based on screen time and narrative impact, with supporting actors having fewer but impactful appearances compared to leads.

This established metric appears to have been inconsistently applied in the current rankings.

“Furthermore, this discrepancy extends to other performers, including Nancy Isime (ranked fifth), whose similar supporting role in the same production received different classification treatment,” the statement also read.

Temple Company noted that while the Nigeria “Box Office Rankings” represent a valuable opportunity to showcase the country’s industry economic impact and market significance, such inconsistencies risk undermining its credibility as an industry benchmark.