Funke Akindele has once again redefined the limits of Nollywood success. Her latest cinematic offering ‘Behind The Scenes‘ has officially surpassed the N2 billion mark at the box office, setting an unprecedented record for African cinema.
According to an official announcement from FilmOne Entertainment, the film’s distributor, on Monday, ‘Behind the Scenes’ has grossed N2,103,039,706 since its release on December 12.
FilmOne celebrated the “unprecedented” milestone, declaring the film the “first Nollywood production in Africa” to achieve the feat.
The distributor said Akindele is now the first filmmaker to rank number one at the box office in Africa for three consecutive years.
The company also credited the film’s historic run to “sustained audience support and belief in local storytelling”.
“Behind the Scenes has officially BROKEN and SHATTERED records hitting over 2 BILLION at the box office and becoming the first Nollywood film in Africa to cross the ₦2 billion mark,” FilmOne wrote on Instagram.
“This is also; – The highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time in Africa, the UK, and Ireland and makes @funkejenifaakindele: – The first filmmaker to rank #1 at the box office in Africa for three consecutive years – West Africa’s highest-grossing filmmaker, writer, director, and producer of all time.
“This is now a movement and we love to see it!”
Akindele, reacting to the news, expressed her gratitude to God and her legion of fans, whom she described as family.
The film earlier earned N512 million in 12 days — the fastest any Nollywood film has crossed the N500 million threshold. It also steadily climbed to N1.77 billion, dominating weekend charts before finally shattering the N2 billion ceiling.
The project has cemented Akindele as the only director to cross the N1 billion mark three separate times.
Akindele’s box office dominion has been a relentless march. In 2023, her film ‘Battle On Buka Street’ became Nollywood’s highest-grossing title with N640 million.
She then shattered the industry’s ceiling in January 2024 when ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ became the first Nollywood movie to reach N1 billion at the box office.
Later that same year, ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ set a new regional record, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in West Africa with N1.88 billion.
