Funke Akindele has emerged as Africa’s top box office filmmaker, securing the number-one spot for three consecutive years with a combined cinema gross of ₦5.3 billion.
The milestone makes her the first filmmaker to lead the African box office rankings over such a sustained period.
Her most recent release, Behind The Scenes (2025), closed its cinema run at ₦2.103 billion, surpassing Everybody Loves Jenifa to become West Africa’s highest-grossing film of all time.
The figures are based on box office data compiled from cinema distributors and industry tracking platforms across the region.
The film, produced under the Funke Ayotunde Akindele Network (FAAN) and distributed by FilmOne Entertainment, capped off a remarkable three-year run that redefined earnings in Nollywood.
Don’t Miss This:Ghana settles $1.47bn energy-sector debt, easing long-standing fiscal pressure
In 2023, A Tribe Called Judah became the industry’s first billion-naira film after grossing ₦1.408 billion. This was followed in 2024 by Everybody Loves Jenifa, which raised the bar again with ₦1.883 billion. Together with Behind The Scenes, Akindele’s films generated a total box office revenue of ₦5.39 billion within three years.
Directed by Funke Akindele alongside Tunde Olaoye, Behind The Scenes features a star-studded cast including Scarlet Gomez, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Ibrahim Chatta, Ini Dima-Okojie, Uzor Arukwe, Uche Montana, and Victoria Adeleye.
The 12A-rated drama follows Aderonke “Ronky-Fella” Faniran, a successful real estate entrepreneur forced to confront the emotional cost of generosity and blurred personal boundaries.
Industry data shows the film crossed the ₦1 billion mark within just 17 days of release, making it the fastest West African film to do so. It also recorded the highest single-day box office gross in regional history, earning ₦129.5 million on Boxing Day. FilmOne Entertainment attributed the success to strong audience turnout and sustained word-of-mouth momentum.
With this performance, Akindele now holds the distinction of being Africa’s highest-grossing filmmaker, director, producer, and screenwriter, reinforcing her position as one of Nollywood’s most commercially successful and influential figures.
