Funke Akindele smashes box office record as Behind The Scenes grosses ₦1.77bn, emerging as the top film in West Africa

Nollywood actor and filmmaker Funke Akindele has recorded another major commercial triumph after her latest cinema release, Behind The Scenes, grossed ₦1.77 billion at the Nigerian box office, reinforcing her position as the industry’s most bankable filmmaker.

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The milestone was announced on Monday by the film’s distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, in a statement posted on its official X account.

“Behind The Scenes hits a whopping ₦1.77 billion. Thank you to everyone for the love and support so far,” FilmOne said.

The distributor said the film had generated ₦1,767,305,878 as of 4pm on January 5, 2026, and had emerged as the number one film of the weekend in West Africa, with box office figures still rising.

“Thank you West Africa. No.1 film of the weekend and counting,” FilmOne added, noting that the earnings were verified figures.

Behind The Scenes stars Scarlet Gomez in the lead role and features an ensemble cast including Funke Akindele, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, Uzor Arukwe, Ini Dima-Okojie, Adebowale “Mr Macaroni”, Ibrahim Chatta, Kamo State, and reality television personalities Handi and Wanni Danbaki.

The film explores the theme of black tax, examining the emotional, social and financial pressures placed on individuals expected to support extended family members, a storyline that has resonated strongly with audiences across Nigeria and the wider region.

Earlier reports had indicated that the film crossed the ₦1 billion mark after earning ₦1.1 billion, placing it among the highest-grossing Nollywood titles of all time.

Following the latest milestone, FilmOne described Akindele as “the only director to cross ₦1 billion at the box office three different times” and “Nollywood’s highest-grossing producer of all time,” highlighting her sustained commercial dominance.

Industry analysts say the performance of Behind The Scenes reflects a potent combination of relatable storytelling, effective distribution strategy and Akindele’s enduring appeal to mainstream cinema audiences.

The success adds to Akindele’s expanding box office legacy, following the strong run of her earlier hit Everybody Loves Jenifa, which became the fastest Nollywood film to reach ₦1 billion domestically.

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With cinema attendance remaining robust, the continued rise of Behind The Scenes is widely seen as a powerful signal of Nollywood’s growing commercial strength and regional influence.