Funke Akindele has officially made history. She is now the first filmmaker to rank #1 at the African box office for three years in a row. Between 2023 and 2025, her movies earned a massive ₦5.39 billion in total.
Data from industry trackers shows that Akindele is now Africa’s highest-grossing director, producer, and screenwriter. She has completely redefined what it means to be a success in Nollywood.
Her record-breaking journey
Akindele’s dominance is built on three major hits released under her network, FAAN:
- 2023: A Tribe Called Judah – Made ₦1.408 billion, becoming the first Nollywood film to ever cross the billion-naira mark.
- 2024: Everybody Loves Jenifa – Broke more records with ₦1.883 billion.
- 2025: Behind The Scenes – Her latest hit earned ₦2.103 billion, making it the highest-grossing film in West African history.
Why “Behind The Scenes” is special
Released in late 2025, Behind The Scenes didn’t just break records; it shattered them.
- Speed: It hit ₦1.1 billion in just 17 days, the fastest ever.
- Single Day Record: It made ₦129.5 million on Boxing Day alone.
- Investment: Akindele spent over ₦1 billion to produce the film, proving that big budgets can lead to even bigger returns.
The movie follows a real estate mogul, “Ronky-Fella,” and features a star-studded cast including Iyabo Ojo, Tobi Bakre, and Destiny Etiko.
This is a major win for Nollywood
Akindele’s success comes at a time when things are expensive and many people are spending less. Despite high ticket prices and inflation, her films continue to draw huge crowds.
From her early days in I Need to Know to her current status as a multi-billion naira filmmaker, Funke Akindele has proven she knows exactly what the audience wants.