Nollywood actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele’s latest film, Behind The Scenes, has surpassed the ₦1 billion mark at the Nigerian box office, grossing ₦1,109,463,846, according to FilmOne Entertainment. The distributor described the milestone as historic and unprecedented within the West African film industry.
FilmOne reported that Behind The Scenes is now the fastest film in West Africa to reach over ₦1 billion in box office receipts and recorded the highest single-day gross for Boxing Day, earning ₦129.5 million. The film has also emerged as the highest-grossing theatrical release of 2025 to date, maintaining strong performance weeks after its nationwide cinema debut.
The distributor highlighted Funke Akindele’s continued prominence in Nollywood, noting that she is the only director to have grossed over ₦1 billion at the box office three separate times and is recognized as Nollywood’s highest-grossing producer. Akindele is also reported to be the first filmmaker to release three consecutive films in one calendar year that each earned over ₦1 billion.
Behind The Scenes had advanced screenings on December 10 and 11, with its official nationwide release on December 12. Within 12 days of release, the film grossed ₦512 million, making it the highest-grossing Nollywood film of 2025 at the time. The film’s opening weekend crossed the ₦200 million mark and set multiple records, including the largest opening weekend admissions for the year.
The film addresses the theme of “black tax,” focusing on the financial and social pressures faced by individuals supporting extended family members. The cast includes Scarlet Gomez in the lead role, with Funke Akindele, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, Uzor Arukwe, Ini Dima-Okojie, Adebowale ‘Mr Macaroni,’ Ibrahim Chatta, Kamo State, and reality TV personalities Handi and Wanni Danbaki, among others.#newsafro_
