Nile Cinemas has merged with VIVA Cinemas, absorbing the brand into the Nile World. This move adds four locations in Ikeja, Ibadan, Ilorin, and Enugu, bringing Nile’s total to eight cinemas across Nigeria. The network now includes an exclusive luxury cinema at Delborough Hotel in Victoria Island.
In one year, Nile Cinemas has worked to update movie theaters by repairing sites, training staff, and building spaces for regular visitors. Adding VIVA Cinemas fits this plan to reach more people.
The full list of sites includes Nile at THC Cinemax on Iju Road, Nile at Royal Roots Cinema in Ikota, Nile at Vintano Hotels, Nile at Delborough Hotel in Victoria Island, and the new Nile Cinemas at VIVA sites in Ikeja, Ibadan, Ilorin, and Enugu. Each site follows Nile’s service rules but keeps local features.
Nile Cinemas started by fixing theaters, adding better service, and showing Nollywood, Hollywood, and other films. Taking over VIVA lets Nile apply these changes to more places.
Nile will make step-by-step updates at VIVA sites, such as new seats, better sound and screens, faster ticket sales, and updated designs. The aim is to build clean, current spaces for solo viewers, families, and groups.
Moses Babatope, Group CEO of Nile Media & Entertainment Group, called the merger a key growth move. “Bringing VIVA Cinemas into the Nile network lets us use our skills to turn cinemas into spots people want to visit. Reaching Ikeja, Ibadan, Ilorin, and Enugu puts us near more groups, which matches our goals,” he said.
He added that the luxury cinema at Delborough Hotel shows Nile meets demands for high-end, small-group viewing.
Biola Sokenu, Group COO of Nile Media & Entertainment Group, focused on staff and customers. “We welcome the VIVA teams and their customers. As we update sites, we keep what regulars like to make the change easy and good for all,” she said.
Ayo Amusan, Managing Director of Persianas Group, which owned VIVA Cinemas, said: “Working with Nile lets us update VIVA through shared focus on quality, new ideas, and customer needs. We look forward to what this brings for users and cinema in Nigeria.”
Over the year, Nile has grown by managing sites like THC Cinemax, Royal Roots, Vintano Hotels, Delborough Hotel, and now VIVA in four cities. This supports goals to grow cinema use, link communities, and help Nigerian films.
Nile now covers three of Nigeria’s six zones: South West, South East, and North Central. South South, North West, and North East are planned next.
Similar mergers have occurred in the movie theater industry, often in the U.S. For example, AMC Theatres acquired Carmike Cinemas in 2016 for $1.1 billion, making AMC the largest chain in the country with over 600 locations. That same year, AMC bought Odeon Cinemas Group to enter Europe. In 2018, Cineworld Group acquired Regal Entertainment for $3.6 billion, creating the second-largest global chain with thousands of screens. More recently, Sony Pictures bought Alamo Drafthouse in 2024 to expand into specialty theaters, and in 2025, Kinepolis acquired Emagine Entertainment to add U.S. sites. These deals allow chains to gain scale, cut costs through shared operations, negotiate better film deals, and reach new markets.
For Nile, this merger with VIVA will likely boost revenue by adding screens in key cities, standardize quality to attract steady crowds, and build bargaining power with distributors. Nationwide expansion could follow as Nile uses combined resources to open or acquire more sites, covering all zones and increasing market share in Nigeria’s growing film sector.
