Jide Kosoko laments debt following N300m movie cinema loss

Nollywood actor, Jide Kosoko

Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Jide Kosoko has said he is in debt after his film, Eleko: Oba Esugbayi, failed to recoup its production cost of over N300m in cinemas.

Kosoko disclosed this in a now trending clip from his interview on African A-List published on October 17, where he explained that the money used to produce the film came from investors who expected returns on their investment.

According to him, the film which premiered in the cinemas in March, failed to generate enough revenue to recover its production cost, while the little money earned was shared among those involved.

“My film ‘Eleko: Oba Esugbayi’ that recently came out and we took to the cinemas, cost us over N300 million. Do I have 300 million? You should know that some people gave it to me and it was not that they dashed me, they invested in it and we took the film to the cinemas,” he said.

He added, “Different things happened and we did not earn our money back. The little that was earned was split. As I am, if you hear someone with debt dancing around their neck, it is me.”

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PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Kosoko revealed he had been living with diabetes since 1996, saying his decades-long experience with the condition had given him a better understanding of his health.

The actor made this known in an interview on African A-List, uploaded to YouTube on Saturday.

“I became diabetic in 1996; I understand my health better than some doctors do. Do not misquote me. I am not saying I know how to do everything, I just do not want to die,” Kosoko said.

He also spoke about his personal life, disclosing that he had lost three wives, including the mother of his daughter, Bidemi Kosoko, who died during childbirth.

“I lost my wife during childbirth; that’s Bidemi’s mother. I have lost three wives,” he said.