Kunle Afolayan Says He’ll Only Release Films in Cinemas Without Dancing Promotions

LAGOS – Nollywood director Kunle Afolayan has revealed that he is willing to release his films in cinemas only if he is not required to dance to promote them, describing the current trend as “draining.”

Speaking at The Lagos Business of Film Summit, Afolayan noted that dancing to market movies has become a widespread practice in Nollywood, with actors posting short videos of themselves dancing in movie merchandise across social media.

“I’m one of the people who started this cinema gig. Even all these dancing, I started dancing before anybody… even in London. But see, it’s draining,” he said, recalling his cinema runs that date back to 2006.

Afolayan emphasized the need for alternative marketing strategies, stating, “I want to make a film. But if you guarantee me that I don’t have to dance to sell it… how do we sell without exhausting ourselves? I cannot do daily skits or keep changing costumes like Funke and others.”

The director also highlighted financial considerations, saying he does not want box office earnings of billions of naira if he cannot retain a meaningful share of the proceeds. His remarks come amid recent box office successes of Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, whose films have grossed over N1 billion.

Afolayan’s comments shed light on why he has focused more on collaborations with Netflix rather than traditional cinema releases, advocating for more sustainable ways to promote Nollywood films.