How Malaika Leaked and the Cost for Toyin Abraham
Toyin Abraham is yet to recover the cost of making Malaika while movie pirates could be making more from her hard work.
Malaika by Toyin Abraham
It might be obvious to many that 90% of movie leaks come from insiders on the production team in a Nollywood movie like Malaika. The relevant people on a movie production team can leak photos/video from the set and even more during post-production regardless of how much precautions go into this.
Malaika is a movie by Toyin Abraham, a new addition to her directorial list. The movie drowned the sum of N500m, and though unverified, this amount for a Nollywood movie places it on the high-budget list.
Before its cinema release on December 15, 2023, movie pirates had gotten hold of it and made it available. The actress/director took steps to stop that action but it was too late. The financial implications of this illegal release of Malaika and how many people have a copy are not yet known.
Movie piracy is a serious issue globally. When movies and series get an early release from illegal unauthorised sources, there are always patronisers waiting to watch them for free. This content is made available on certain websites and others on DVDs in Nigeria.
The Safety of Nollywood Movies
No safety measures against piracy for Nollywood movies are bulletproof. One proven method is monitoring the core movie production team. Several film sets will ban mobile phones, the least kind of precaution, however, film pirates can hack the production server directly to get access.
There are several cases where movies leak through the censorship board that receives them for certification. The copies given to movie critics or even the premier copies carry risks too.
Errors from any of these channels can result in a lot of loss.
Also, consider releasing on streaming platforms as they could take responsibility for leaks. Streaming platforms have become useful to Nollywood in this way over the years.
One move that is considered medicine after death could be to force movie pirates to take down intellectual property. There are tools available online for this purpose. With the correct proof of ownership, these tools pull pirated content from websites and prevent them from appearing on search engines.
