Funke Akindele’s film, Behind the Scenes, has crossed the ₦2 billion mark at the box office, setting a new record in Nollywood cinema history.
According to FilmOne Entertainment, the movie’s distributor, the film has grossed ₦2,103,039,706 since its release. The company announced the milestone in an Instagram post, describing the achievement as unprecedented for a Nollywood production.
“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 said.
The distributor added that the film is now the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time across Africa, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It also noted that the achievement makes Akindele the first filmmaker to rank number one at the box office in Africa for three consecutive years.
FilmOne further described Akindele as West Africa’s highest-grossing filmmaker, writer, director, and producer of all time, crediting the film’s success to sustained audience support and belief in local storytelling.
“This is now a movement and we love to see it. From our hearts to yours, thank you for believing in the magic of storytelling and making history with us,” the distributor said.
Reacting to the milestone, Akindele expressed gratitude to God and her fans, describing the success of the film as a shared journey. In a post on her Instagram page, the actress and producer thanked her supporters for standing by her work.
“Joy overflow! Our heart is full of gratitude to God and to you, my amazing fans who have truly become family. Thank you for showing up, supporting, and believing in this journey. Reaching this incredible milestone and still counting would not have been possible without you. I am deeply grateful. Let’s keep pushing, growing, and supporting the Funke Akindele Network brand together,” she wrote.
The ₦2 billion milestone comes weeks after Behind the scenes hit ₦512 million in just 12 days, making it the fastest Nollywood film to cross the ₦500 million mark. The film later climbed to ₦1.77 billion, topping the box office for several weekends before surpassing the ₦2 billion barrier.
The film’s performance is particularly significant given the controversies that surrounded the December cinema season. During the period, some movie producers complained about alleged cinema boycotts, limited screening slots and reduced promotion for certain films.
Despite these concerns, Behind the scenes went on to record one of the strongest box office runs in Nollywood history, demonstrating that audience demand for the film remained high.
Akindele already holds several box office records. Her film Everybody Loves Jenifa previously stood as the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time, earning ₦1.88 billion. She also dominates the list of Nigeria’s top-grossing films with titles such as Omo Ghetto: The Saga, Battle on Buka Street and A Tribe Called Judah.
