A recent revelation by veteran actor Mustapha Bakare Otolo has sent shockwaves through the Nollywood community, unveiling a significant pay gap between its top stars and established veterans.

In a trending online interview, Otolo disclosed that his colleague, the versatile actor Ibrahim Chatta, currently commands a staggering N5 million per movie role, positioning him at the very top of the industry’s pay chart.

Otolo made these comments while explaining the financial hurdles veteran actors face when trying to produce cinema-quality films. He painted a stark picture of the earning disparity, noting that while a star like Chatta can demand millions, many seasoned actors are offered fees between N250,000 and N300,000 for a role.

“When Ibrahim Chatta appears on a movie set, he has been paid N5 million. That’s his current price,” Otolo stated. “He is the highest-paid actor presently and can do up to 20 jobs in a month. I brought him to my movie, ‘Jigi,’ set in Ogbomoso recently.”

He contrasted this with the reality for many of his peers, adding, “You can’t compare him to some of us who are being paid between N250,000 – N300,000 and appear in just one or two films in a month. This is the core reason it’s difficult for some veterans to produce cinema movies.”

This disclosure has sparked widespread discussion, highlighting the evolving economics of Nollywood where star power and market demand are creating new financial hierarchies within the industry.