Nollywood: From VHS Tapes to Netflix Blockbusters
The epic story of the world's second-largest film industry by output: its history, Lagos studios, and streaming distribution.
Nollywood: From VHS Tapes to Netflix Blockbusters
Nollywood, born in the early 1990s out of the distribution markets of Surulere and Idumota, has grown into a professional film industry producing major hits now streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.
From the Markets of Idumota and Surulere to Industrialization
Nollywood was born out of commercial necessity: in the early 1990s, electronics wholesalers at the Idumota market on Lagos Island, looking to move blank VHS tapes, began financing very low-budget local productions, shot in a matter of days and sold directly in the markets. This informal model, long criticized for uneven production quality, gradually built out an entire ecosystem in Surulere, where studios, post-production houses, and casting agencies settled and now form the industry's historic core.
The Streaming Era and the Arrival of Global Giants
The entry of Netflix and Prime Video into the Nigerian market marked a decisive turning point, with these platforms directly financing higher-budget Nigerian productions and giving them immediate global distribution. Films like "Lionheart" (the first Nigerian film acquired by Netflix) and "The Black Book" demonstrated Nollywood's ability to produce work that is both commercially successful at home and competitive on the international stage, helping make Nigeria the world's second-largest film producer by volume, behind India.
A Growing Economic Weight for Lagos
This industrialization has professionalized film careers in Lagos: writers, technicians, and actors now benefit from more structured contracts and specialized training, notably through film schools based in Yaba and Surulere. iLagosCity notes that Nollywood still faces persistent challenges around piracy and financing, with most productions still working with modest budgets by Hollywood standards, despite the growing international visibility of its best work.
A Cultural Reach That Goes Beyond the Screen
Nollywood's success has also reinforced Lagos's image as an African creative capital, alongside Afrobeats music and fashion. Filming in the streets of Lagos Island, Lekki, or Ikoyi generates local economic activity (location rentals, catering, logistics) and draws co-productions with studios from South Africa and the Nigerian diaspora in the UK and US.