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In the bright first hour of many Nollywood films, you’ll often find a burst of energy: compelling setups, bold characters, conflict in motion. But somewhere past the 60-minute mark, the story begins to unravel. What began with such promise starts to meander, lose tension, or collapse under the weight of weak resolutions. It’s a pattern too familiar and one that’s holding Nollywood back from consistent cinematic greatness.
So what’s really going on here? Why do so many Nollywood films fall apart in their second half?
The Budget Drop-Off
Many Nollywood productions are front-loaded. That means more attention, time, and resources are poured into the opening sequences—the look, the costumes, the scenes that make the trailer. But as the budget tightens or time runs out, corners get cut. Scenes that need multiple setups get rushed. Reshoots? Unlikely. And sometimes, third acts are rewritten on set or even dropped entirely due to constraints.
A 2022 report by FilmOne noted that the average Nollywood film still operates under ₦40–60 million, with post-production sometimes receiving less than 10% of that total. Compare that to South Korea, where even mid-budget films dedicate up to 25% of budget to post and third-act reshoots.
Weak Screenwriting Infrastructure
It’s not that Nigerian writers don’t have talent but that the system doesn’t support them. Writers are often brought in late, underpaid, or expected to churn out full-length features within tight deadlines. The emphasis is on “content creation,” not story incubation.
A writer might create a strong premise, but with no proper room to test, revise, and workshop their scripts (like table reads, story labs, or second-draft budgets), many plots lack the robustness needed to carry through a full three-act structure.
Take Netflix drop-off data (though not publicly detailed for Nigeria, international studies apply): across global streaming markets, audience drop-off tends to occur around the 55–65 minute mark. That means if your story hasn’t sustained engagement by then, you’ve likely lost a chunk of your viewers.
Lack of Dedicated Script Editors
In established industries, script editors are the invisible warriors behind cohesive narratives. In Nollywood, this role is often collapsed into that of the producer or director, already stretched thin with logistics and delivery timelines. What we get are promising ideas with muddled middles and rushed endings.
We’ve seen it happen in big-budget films like Chief Daddy 2 and even smaller indie hits: intriguing setups followed by tonal confusion or plot threads that vanish. It’s not laziness but the absence of structural oversight.
Audience Pressure and Genre Jumping
Sometimes the curse comes from trying to do too much. Filmmakers, in a bid to please everyone, start with a genre—say, romantic comedy and then swerve into mystery, then drama, then a slapstick third act (we can all think of one). This tonal whiplash leaves the audience disoriented. In the first hour, everything feels tight. By the second, it feels like a different film.
Filmmakers worry: “Will people call it boring?” So they add more twists, more characters, more shocks. But more isn’t always better, it’s often noise.
The Data Dilemma
Many Nigerian production companies lack access to viewer data that should inform their pacing and structural choices. Platforms like Netflix do not always share granular analytics with producers. That means filmmakers don’t know if audiences are tapping out at minute 70, or if a subplot just didn’t land.
Compare that to U.S. writers’ rooms, where episodes are refined based on second-by-second viewer retention data. Without that feedback loop, our stories remain in a creative vacuum.
Festival vs Commercial Pressure
There’s also a growing tug-of-war between films made for international acclaim and those made for local commercial return. Some start as daring arthouse pieces, then pivot midway to mainstream tastes, losing their voice in the process.
Take The Black Book or Elesin Oba (no offense) films with strong cultural or political premises that fizzle out under the pressure of spectacle or wide appeal. In some cases, a festival-friendly first half is followed by a compromised, market-friendly second half.
So What Can Be Done?
If we’re serious about fixing Nollywood’s second-half slump, the solution isn’t a one-time patch but structural. Storytelling is a system, and it only thrives when every part of that system is working in sync.
1. Fund Rewrites and Script Labs
Most Nollywood scripts don’t go through a second draft, let alone a table read. That’s a problem. Rewriting isn’t a luxury, it’s standard practice in top film industries. South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) offers script development grants before production begins. Why can’t we?
Private studios and streamers in Nigeria should dedicate 5–10% of their production budgets to script incubation, with at least one rewrite and internal feedback session baked in.
“A bad ending ruins even the best beginning.” — Screenwriting wisdom, but also a Nigerian truth.
2. Create a Network of Script Editors
Script editors aren’t glorified proofreaders. A trained editor helps spot plot holes, tighten structure, and maintain tonal consistency across acts. Nollywood must treat this as a core hire and not a luxury.
Studios can:
- Run annual Script Editor Bootcamps for story development professionals.
- Build writer-editor pairings, where every script has a second set of trained eyes.
- Establish partnerships with literary communities like Lolwe, Brittle Paper, or Narrative Landscape for crossover talent.
3. Protect the Final Act
Filmmakers must plan for Act III with as much care as Act I. That means blocking out specific shoot days, budgeting for reshoots, and leaving post-production buffers for reordering scenes or trimming fat.
If post still only gets 8–10% of the budget, we’ll keep ending great stories with chaos. Aim for at least 20–25% of total budget going toward editing, sound, ADR, color grading, and final tweaks.
Pro tip: The last 15 minutes of your film are what audiences remember most. Budget accordingly.
4. Leverage Viewer Analytics
It’s time Nigerian producers demand better access to platform data. Even basic viewer retention metrics (like drop-off points and completion rates) can help writers fine-tune future stories.
For example:
- A 2023 Parrot Analytics report showed that African Gen Z audiences stop watching content after just 12 minutes if pacing is off.
- Amazon Prime Video Nigeria recently began testing “deep feedback tools” for creators. Others should follow.
Without this loop, Nollywood will continue writing blind.
5. Train Writers in Narrative Endurance
Many emerging screenwriters can write killer 30-minute shorts but struggle to stretch that storytelling muscle across 90 minutes. We need more workshops on narrative stamina, focusing on sustaining character arcs, tension, and stakes through second and third acts.
What good is a brilliant premise if it collapses under its own weight?
6. Hold Firm to Creative Vision
Too many second halves suffer from panic: “Will this sell?” “Will festivals like this?” “Should we add a twist here?” This leads to tonal dissonance, unfinished subplots, and genre confusion. Writers and directors must learn to protect their original vision from premature compromise, while still staying audience-aware.
Even a flawed film with a clear identity is more memorable than a confused crowd-pleaser.
Nollywood is evolving—but to break the second-half curse, we need better storytelling infrastructure, not just bigger sets or flashier trailers. Let the story breathe from start to finish.
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