Funke Akindele has set a new benchmark for Nollywood. Her latest film, Behind the Scenes, has passed the ₦2 billion mark at the Nigerian box office, becoming the first Nollywood production to ever do so. This is a shift in what Nigerian cinema can aim for.

 The film had crossed the threshold across Africa, the United Kingdom and Ireland. With that, Akindele becomes the highest-grossing filmmaker in Africa and the first to lead the box office in the region for three consecutive years. Nollywood has had milestones before, but this one hit differently.

What makes this one different?

What makes the achievement amazing is how normal it now feels. A decade ago, the idea of a Nollywood film earning ₦2 billion would have sounded ambitious or even unrealistic. But today, audiences are turning up in numbers. It shows confidence in local stories and a cinema-going culture that is finally settling in.

A record announced and confirmed

 Akindele acknowledged the moment, writing on X, she said the milestone was part of a longer journey rather than a destination. Records, she said, are markers, not the mission. From A Tribe Called Judah crossing ₦1 billion to Behind the Scenes doubling that figure, the work continues. The emphasis, as always, was on discipline and commitment to the craft.

This consistency has defined her career. In January 2024, A Tribe Called Judah became the first Nollywood film to earn ₦1 billion within three weeks of release. This achievement drew public praise, including a congratulatory message from President Bola Tinubu, who spoke about strengthening the environment for Nigeria’s creative economy

Before the numbers came, the struggle

Her story did not begin with box office dominance. In interviews, she often spoke about earning her first ₦1 million at the age of 22 after years of auditions, rejections and background roles. She started acting professionally in 1996, took on minor parts, heard more nos than yes, but still waited. The turning point came with the television series I Need to Know, where she played Bisi. The show aired on NTA between 1997 and 2002 and focused on adolescent health and social issues. It gave her visibility, stability and belief.

Behind the Scenes has not only become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time in Africa, but it has also led the box office in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Diaspora audiences have always consumed Nigerian films, but cinema attendance at this scale signals trust in the quality of the work and a desire to experience Nigerian stories.

A cinema culture coming into its own

The wider industry is also changing. West African cinemas recorded ₦15.6 billion in box office revenue in 2025, with 2.79 million people attending screenings across 122 cinemas. Sixteen films crossed the ₦200 million mark, while 14 Nollywood titles earned above ₦100 million. Average ticket prices stood at ₦5,596, reflecting both rising demand and higher production costs.

Nollywood is also learning how to compete, making way for local releases alongside Hollywood big names. Films such as Toyin Abraham’s Oversabi Aunty have pulled in strong numbers. The competition has raised standards and forced clearer thinking around storytelling and marketing.

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From video CDs to global screens

Nollywood’s journey has always been uneven. The industry emerged in the early 1990s through low-budget, straight-to-video productions that travelled quickly across living rooms and street corners. Living in Bondage, released in 1992, is widely recognised as the spark that set things in motion. By the early 2000s, Nigeria had become one of the world’s most prolific film producers in terms of volume.

The shift from VHS and DVD to cinema releases and streaming platforms has transformed the way films are made and consumed. Titles such as The Wedding Party and King of Boys marked the transition into higher production values and broader reach. Funke Akindele now stands strongly in that lineage, pushing the ceiling higher with each release.

Behind the Scenes shows that the Nollywood industry is learning to trust itself and improve over time. Nigerian stories are travelling as confident exports. That is the real story behind the numbers.

Anita Chinedu