Media mogul Mo Abudu has clarified that she does not use dance routines to promote her films, unlike some of her industry peers.
Speaking at the Lagos Business of Film Summit, the EbonyLife Media CEO acknowledged the success of Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, who often rely on lively dance videos to boost their films’ popularity and box office performance. However, Abudu explained that she prefers strategies that better reflect her own style and brand.
She praised the creativity and energy of Akindele and Abraham, noting how their approach often goes viral and resonates with audiences. Despite this admiration, Abudu stressed that dancing is not her strength and has directed her team to focus on alternative promotional methods that don’t require her direct participation in such routines.
Abudu used the platform to highlight the importance of recognizing different paths to success in Nigeria’s film industry, emphasizing that every filmmaker should identify the strategies that suit them best.
Her comments echoed similar remarks made by actor and filmmaker Kunle Afolayan at the same summit. Legit.ng reported that Afolayan stated he would not dance or perform skits to market his films, a stance that drew criticism from Funke Akindele, other industry colleagues, and fans nationwide.
Critics argued that Afolayan’s statement seemed to dismiss Akindele’s highly effective promotional methods, which have consistently broken box office records and reshaped expectations in Nollywood. In response, Akindele defended her approach, asserting that the industry has room for diverse promotional strategies. She encouraged creators to focus on their individual strengths, highlighting that multiple paths can lead to success without jealousy or competition.
See post below:
How is this different from what Kunle Afolayan said in that interview ? pic.twitter.com/5wSZS0Ippn
— Moore (@Accoid) February 3, 2026
Read some comments below:
@seanelhadji:”This is even still sarcastically taking a dig at those who dance! Talk about how you want to sell your films without talking about how other people sell theirs. There’s a Burna who does not even post flyers of his shows, all we see is ‘sold out’ and there’s a David who aggressively markets his, at the end of the day, both sell out venues! If they feel the box office has been taken over by those who dance, they can move to Netflix or YouTube!”
@Deji_Dokun:”Why are they worried about those who dance to promote their film? They should stick to what works for them.”
@mrs_omoh:”Why is the discussion about dancing? Why can’t they just brainstorm and think about other marketing strategies?”
@iamgoldwealth:”There’s a clear difference between applauding people’s strength and criticising it. KA was definitely talking about the issues with cinema but downplayed the effort of the people doing well in it, we all saw the video. He even made jest of the person who reacted & You know this.”
@Olalekanakogun:”They literally shoot 2 movies to promote 1 movie. It’s degrading and demeaning for filmmakers to be reduced to content creators these days…”