Nollywood filmmaker and producer Funke Akindele has recorded another major commercial success as her latest film, Behind the Scenes, crossed the ₦1 billion.
The film’s distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, confirmed on Monday, December 29, 2025, that Behind the Scenes had grossed over ₦1.1 billion just 17 days after its nationwide release on December 12, 2025, making it the fastest film in West Africa to surpass ₦1 billion in box office earnings.
FilmOne described the achievement as a historic moment for regional cinema, noting that the film also posted the highest single-day box office gross ever recorded on Boxing Day, earning ₦129.5 million on December 26, 2025.
In addition, Behind the Scenes is currently the highest-grossing Nollywood release of 2025, and delivered the strongest opening week of the year, earning over ₦500 million in its first week. The opening performance was boosted by advanced screenings held on December 10 and 11, ahead of the official release.
Funke Akindele has become the only Nollywood filmmaker to record three separate ₦1 billion box office hits, and the first to deliver three consecutive billion-naira films within a single calendar year. Reacting to the success, Akindele thanked audiences, colleagues, and distributors for their support.
“Over the years, I’ve always valued my fans, because without God and you, I am nobody,” she wrote.
“Thank you all for coming out to watch this movie and for supporting my brand through the years.”
She also acknowledged the cast, crew, and industry colleagues who supported the film’s cinema tour, adding, “This is only the beginning. Let’s take Behind the Scenes even further.”
The filmmaker revealed that the movie is now screening in cinemas across two European countries and the United States.
Behind the Scenes is co-directed by Funke Akindele and Tunde Olaoye and features an ensemble cast including Scarlet Gomez, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Ibrahim Chatta, Ini Dima-Okojie, Uzor Arukwe, Uche Montana, and Victoria Adeleye. The drama runs for 2 hours and 24 minutes, is rated 12A, and follows the story of Aderonke “Ronky-Fella” Faniran, a successful real estate entrepreneur whose generosity leads to personal and emotional challenges.
Following the film’s release, Akindele also appealed to cinema audiences to refrain from recording or sharing clips from the movie during screenings.
The success of Behind the Scenes continues a steady run of record-breaking releases for Akindele.
In 2023, Battle on Buka Street grossed ₦640 million, becoming Nollywood’s highest-grossing film at the time. In January 2024, A Tribe Called Judah became the first Nollywood film to earn ₦1 billion at the Nigerian box office.
Later in 2024, Everybody Loves Jenifa raised the benchmark again with ₦1.6 billion, emerging as the highest-grossing film in West African cinema history.
