Are Cinemas Dying? Nigeria, Nollywood and the Global Streaming Battle

 

Are Cinemas Dying, or Are We Just Tired of Bad Movies?

There was a time when watching a new movie meant buying a ticket, finding your seat, grabbing popcorn and experiencing the film on a giant screen. Today, you can wait a few weeks, open Netflix and watch from your sofa.

So, here is the question: Are cinemas becoming irrelevant, or are audiences simply becoming more selective about what deserves their money?

From Nigeria to Hollywood, the battle between cinema screens and streaming platforms is far from over.

Streaming Has Changed the Game with Netflix, Prime video and other streaming platform transforming the way people consume entertainment. In the first half of 2025 alone, Netflix reported more than 95 billion hours watched on its platform worldwide. That is a remarkable amount of viewing happening without a cinema ticket.

But the big screen is not dead. According to figures reported by South Korea’s Film Council, global cinema revenue increased by 5.4% in 2025, while admissions rose by 2.8%. However, both figures remained below their pre-pandemic averages.South Korea’s Film Council.

The message is interesting: audiences are still going to cinemas, but the industry has yet to fully recover.

Streaming offers convenience, variety and comfort. Cinemas offer something different: enormous screens, powerful sound, premieres and the experience of watching a major film with hundreds of other people.

Perhaps the real competition is no longer about where people watch movies. It is about which films are worth leaving home for.

Nollywood Is Giving Cinemas a Reason to Fight

Nigeria presents an interesting twist to this global debate.

According to FilmOne’s 2025 Nigeria Box Office Yearbook, the Anglophone West African cinema market generated ₦15.6 billion in box-office revenue from approximately 2.8 million admissions in 2025. Revenue increased by 48% year-on-year, while admissions grew by 6%. FilmOne

That difference matters. It suggests that higher ticket prices and spending, alongside audience growth, contributed to the industry's rising revenue.

The yearbook also recorded 122 cinema locations operating across the territory, up from 107 in 2024.

Even more interesting, a survey of 500 Nigerian cinema-goers reported by TechCabal in January 2025 found that 66% preferred cinemas over streaming platforms, while 27% preferred Netflix.netflix.com

These figures challenge the idea that Nigerians have abandoned cinemas. Instead, they suggest that the theatrical experience still has an audience.

However, growth does not mean the challenges have disappeared. With transport, food and other expenses competing for people's money, a cinema outing has to feel worth the cost. Nollywood also faces the challenge of consistently delivering films that audiences want to see on the big screen.

A strong local film can become a shared cultural moment. A disappointing one can leave viewers wondering why they did not simply wait for streaming.

So, Are Cinemas Actually Dying? Not necessarily. But the industry cannot rely on nostalgia alone.

Streaming platforms are competing on convenience, while cinemas must compete on experience, storytelling and the excitement of seeing something first.

For Nigerian cinema, the opportunity is significant: successful Nollywood releases can attract audiences, generate revenue and demonstrate the commercial power of local storytelling. Globally, major theatrical releases continue to show that audiences will still leave their homes when a film gives them a compelling reason.

The bigger question is whether cinemas can consistently deliver that reason.

What do you think? Are cinemas still worth the ticket price, or would you rather wait for the movie to arrive on Netflix?

At OpinionMarket, the question is not just what people think today, but how the entertainment industry will evolve tomorrow. Explore relevant prediction markets on OpinionMarket and see how others are thinking about the future.