ESTHER OCHANYA IGOMU

ThisstudyexaminedpublicopinionofnewsnarrativesonfilmconsumptioninNigeria.Itfocusedonhownewsframinginfluencedaudienceperceptionandviewingchoices,particularlywithintheNollywoodfilmindustry.ThestudywasanchoredontheAgendaSetting,Reception,andFramingTheories,whichexplainedhowmedianarrativesshapedaudienceattitudesandopinions.Thesurveyresearchdesignwasadopted,anddataweregatheredusingquestionnairesthroughapurposivesamplingtechnique.Findings from the study revealed that news narrativescontributed significantly to the publicity and audience consumption of selected Nollywoodmovies. News stories and reviews about films created awareness, shaped both positive andnegative perceptions, and influenced public opinion. The data furthershowedthatwhilemediaframinghelpedpublicizeSelectNigerianfilmsespeciallythosewithculturalandhistoricalthemes.Exaggerated framing sometimes created doubt about a film’s credibility, although it stilldrew public attention.The study recommended that Nollywood filmmakers should pay closeattention to how their works were portrayed by the media. It also suggested that journalists andmedia outlets should strike a balance between criticism and support to promote credibility andhelp audiences form balanced opinions. Finally, it encouraged viewers to be conscious of hownews narratives influenced their opinions about films before or after watching.