The cinemas in Nigeria are concentrated in a handful of cities, and the cost of a seat swings more from place to place than most visitors expect. A film that costs one price in Ilorin can cost twice as much in Lagos.
This guide names the main chains, shows which cinemas sell the most tickets, lists the IMAX and premium screens and gathers the prices that cinemas publish. Cinemas change their prices without notice, so I have dated the figures where I could and flagged those that are only a guide.
Cinemas in Nigeria at a Glance
Nigeria has far more cinemas than any other country in Anglophone West Africa. A recent industry yearbook counted 102 locations and 333 screens, which is 92% of the screens in the region. Ghana, the next largest market, had 7 locations and 18 screens.
A few years ago the censor board counted 206 cinemas spread across 18 states, with 114 of them in Lagos and 17 in Abuja. That count is older and includes small venues, so it is a picture of how lopsided the map is and not a list of today’s multiplexes. Edo, Kano, Delta and Anambra were also named as states with a significant number.
Last year, an industry count of outlets by chain gave the picture below.
| Chain | Outlets |
|---|---|
| FilmHouse | 12 |
| Genesis Cinemas | 10 |
| Ace, Nile, Silverbird and Viva | 5 each |
| Covenant Plus, Ojaja and OOPL | 2 to 3 each |
On these numbers, two chains account for more outlets than the next four put together, and the rest of the market is a patchwork of regional operators.
Top Cinemas in Nigeria by Ticket Sales
The most reliable way to rank cinemas is by ticket revenue, and one national business paper published a top ten for last year. It is a ranking of money taken and not of comfort, so a small cinema with excellent service will not appear in it. Anyone searching for the top cinemas in nigeria will find the same names near the top of most lists.
| Rank | Cinema | Ticket sales | Screens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silverbird, Ikeja | ₦1.117bn | 5 |
| 2 | EbonyLife, Lagos | ₦1.086bn | 4 |
| 3 | Filmhouse, Lekki | ₦1.085bn | 6, including IMAX |
| 4 | Filmhouse, Surulere | ₦662.5m | 8 |
| 5 | Genesis, Port Harcourt | ₦587m | 6 |
| 6 | Silverbird, Jabi Lake, Abuja | ₦486.9m | 5 |
| 7 | Genesis, Festival Mall, Lagos | ₦452.9m | not stated |
| 8 | Genesis, Benin City | ₦435.2m | 4 |
| 9 | Filmhouse, Ikota | ₦429.5m | not stated |
| 10 | Filmhouse, Samonda, Ibadan | ₦384.8m | not stated |
Six of the ten are in Lagos, and the Genesis cinema in Port Harcourt is the top performer outside Lagos. Abuja, Benin City and Ibadan have one entry each.
Filmhouse Cinemas in Nigeria: Branches and Prices
Filmhouse cinemas in nigeria are the easiest to price, because the chain publishes a ticket page with a table for each branch. I read it on 22 October. The cheapest seat is in Ilorin, and the costliest are the IMAX seats in Lagos.
| Branch | Cheapest seat listed | Top seat listed |
|---|---|---|
| Ilorin | Standard ₦4,000 | Standard ₦4,000 |
| Dugbe, Ibadan | Blockbuster ₦5,500 | Blockbuster ₦5,500 |
| Samonda, Ibadan | Blockbuster ₦6,000 | Blockbuster ₦6,000 |
| Akure | Blockbuster ₦6,000 | Blockbuster ₦6,000 |
| Benin City | Standard ₦6,000 | Blockbuster 2D ₦6,500 |
| Surulere | Standard ₦7,000 | D-Box ₦8,000 |
| Palms, Lekki | Premium ₦8,000 | Blockbuster Premium ₦8,500 |
| Ikota | Premium 2D ₦7,500 | Premium Blockbuster ₦9,000 |
| Landmark, Victoria Island | Premium 2D ₦9,500 | MX4D ₦10,000 |
| Lekki | Premium 2D ₦9,500 | IMAX 2D ₦10,000 |
Several branches also list a Wednesday price for students and corps members, between ₦4,500 and ₦5,000, and a private Cube room that costs ₦250,000 in Ilorin and ₦450,000 in Lagos for eight guests. The chain lists no branch in Port Harcourt, Owerri, Uyo, Abeokuta or Enugu on that page.
IMAX Cinemas in Nigeria and Premium Screens
IMAX cinemas in nigeria are few. The Filmhouse price page lists IMAX 2D at two Lagos branches, Lekki and Circle Mall, at ₦10,000 a seat. The Lekki branch is described as having more than 300 seats in its IMAX hall, which makes it one of the larger screens in the country.
Other premium formats include the MX4D screen at the Landmark branch, priced at ₦10,000, and D-Box motion seats at Surulere, priced at ₦8,000. Other chains advertise their own premium halls, though I found no published tariff for them. The step up is not always large: the D-Box seat at Surulere costs ₦1,000 more than the standard seat there, and the Blockbuster 2D seat in Benin City costs ₦500 more.
Popular Cinemas in Nigeria Outside Lagos
The most popular cinemas in nigeria outside Lagos are in the larger cities, and prices there are usually lower than on the island.
Cinemas in Abuja Nigeria
Silverbird at Jabi Lake sits sixth in the national ranking, which makes it the busiest cinema in the capital. Our guide to cinemas in Abuja with a price list lists the other options. Anyone planning a trip should search for cinemas in abuja nigeria by mall, since Silverbird at Jabi Lake, for one, sits inside a shopping centre.
Cinemas in Ibadan Nigeria
Filmhouse runs two branches in Ibadan, at Dugbe and Samonda, and the Samonda branch is tenth in the revenue ranking. For a full comparison of seats and times, see our guide to cinemas in Ibadan and their ticket prices. People who search for cinemas in ibadan nigeria will also find the cheaper of the two at Dugbe.
Elsewhere
Genesis has branches in Port Harcourt, Benin City, Owerri and Warri, and a Genesis cinema in Port Harcourt takes more ticket money than any other outside Lagos. Havana Cinemas in Owerri advertised a Thursday offer of ₦6,000 including a drink and a popcorn promotion on the day I looked. Viva in Ilorin lists a plain ticket at ₦6,000 on a list that is five months old.
Cities With Thin Information
Some cities are harder to read than others. Port Harcourt has a well-attended Genesis cinema, and directories also list Silverbird and Filmhouse venues there, but neither chain shows a Port Harcourt branch on its own page, so call before you go. Uyo is similar. A directory lists Silverbird at the Ibom Tropicana entertainment centre, yet Silverbird’s own site names only Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos in Nigeria, which means the Uyo cinema may have closed or changed hands. Where the chain’s own page is silent, treat a directory entry as a lead to confirm, and not as a fact.
Cinema in Nigeria Price: What a Ticket Costs
A cinema in nigeria price list is rarely complete, and each chain publishes in a different way. On the figures above, a normal seat costs ₦4,000 to ₦7,000 outside the Lagos premium halls, and a premium or IMAX seat costs ₦8,000 to ₦10,000. A private Cube for eight works out to ₦31,250 each in Ilorin and ₦56,250 each in Lagos.
For a planning figure, use ₦6,000 for an ordinary evening seat in a big city, ₦4,500 to ₦5,000 for a Wednesday student ticket where one is offered and ₦9,500 for a premium seat in Lagos. A business paper reported a few years ago that regular seats cost ₦3,000 to ₦5,000 and VIP seats ₦6,000 to ₦9,000. Prices have moved up since, and anything on an old list that quotes a seat at ₦2,000 or less is out of date. The same caution applies to snack combinations, which vary by cinema and are often the largest part of the bill for a family. If a cinema sells a ticket, popcorn and drink bundle, compare its total with the plain ticket price plus what the kiosk charges, because the bundle is not always the cheaper choice.
Our guide to cinemas in Lagos with a price list sets out the Lagos branches in detail.
Buying Tickets and Saving Money
Prices differ by day, film and hall, so check the date of any list you read. Wednesdays are the usual cheap day. Some cinemas add a booking fee online, so compare the counter price with the app price. A group can book a private room, though a Cube costs far more per head than a seat in the main hall, so it suits a celebration and not a budget outing. A family of four at a Lagos premium seat pays ₦32,000 to ₦38,000, and the same family at a standard Ilorin seat pays ₦16,000. Because tickets for popular new films sell out at weekends, buy early if you are travelling in a group, and ask whether the cinema issues numbered seats so that you can sit together.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cinemas in Nigeria
Which are the biggest cinema chains in Nigeria?
FilmHouse has the most outlets, with 12, followed by Genesis with 10. Ace, Nile, Silverbird and Viva have five each.
Where is IMAX in Nigeria?
The Filmhouse price page lists IMAX at its Lekki and Circle Mall branches in Lagos, at ₦10,000 a seat.
How much is a cinema ticket in Nigeria?
From ₦4,000 in Ilorin to ₦10,000 for IMAX in Lagos on the Filmhouse page. Other chains publish fewer prices.
Which city has the cheapest cinema?
On the published figures, Ilorin, where Filmhouse lists a standard seat at ₦4,000.
Before You Go
Pick the city and the hall, then check the price for the day you want. The cinemas in Nigeria that publish their tariffs are easy to compare, and the ones that do not are worth a call. Ask what the seat includes, find out whether a midweek price applies and keep a note of what you were quoted.
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