After the success of EbonyLife’s ‘Chief Daddy’ in December 2018, which grossed over N300 million at the box office, making it the fourth highest grossing film domestically, fans were thrilled to learn that a sequel was in the works.
Then came Chief Daddy 2, which ushered Nigerians into the new year as the film was released on January 1, 2022. But surprisingly, backlash and negative reviews followed the release of the long-awaited film.
PREMIUM TIMES, in their review, described the film as an unnecessary sequel that leaves viewers completely confused and angry.
However, on Friday, a celebrated Nollywood filmmaker, Niyi Akinmolayan, blamed US production company and subscription streaming service Netflix for the apparent failures of Chief Daddy 2.
This was revealed by the 39-year-old filmmaker in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr. Akinmolayan, who described ‘Chief Daddy’ as his “baby”, directed the first part and the sequel.
He said, “The question everyone has to ask is whether Chief Daddy 2 is a Niyi Akinmolayan movie or a Netflix movie. When you watch the movie, you will see that it is a Netflix movie.
“So the way Chief Daddy 2 was structured didn’t exactly give creative power to a lot of people behind it. In cases like this, (my) director’s hands were tied.”
“When a streamer is completely driving a movie, there is very little a director can do, but Chief Daddy is my baby. I was very involved in the first installment, and I was barely involved in the second.
Akinmolayan is best known for directing the highest-grossing Nigerian film The Wedding Party 2, starring Banky Wellington, Adesua Etomi and Enyinna Nwigwe; It was a sequel to the equally successful film The Wedding Party.
Some of his recent works are King of Thieves (2022), ‘The Man for the Job’ (2022), ‘Progressive Tailor’s Association’ (2021), ‘My Village people’ (2021), Prophetess (2021) and ‘baby lift‘ (2019).
audience reaction
Disappointed that the film fell short of audience expectations, Nigerians took to Twitter with countless negative comments, forcing Ms. Abudu and her team to restrict comments on their social media pages.
It was the first time in history that Nigerians would speak with one voice and condemn a Nollywood film in its entirety.
Speaking about the negative reviews that followed Chief Daddy 2, Akinmolayan said that no matter how much is spent to make a movie, audience reception is the hallmark of a movie.
He said, “Audience response makes a good movie. You can never know if you’ve made a good movie until the audience sees it. You could get caught up in thinking I’ve written something good or filmed something great, but audience reaction is the true test of a great movie.”
“As a producer or director, if you’re working backwards, thinking about what makes a great movie, you could shoot yourself in the foot. So what I always say is follow your heart, be very true to yourself and the story you’re trying to tell, and always test with an audience. That is why cinema is important.