Funke Akindele has made history once again as her latest movie, ‘Behind the Scenes’, has become the fastest Nollywood film to cross the N1 billion mark at the West African box office, reaching the milestone within 19 days of its release. The film has now grossed over N1.1 billion, setting a new commercial record for Nigerian cinema.
‘Behind The Scenes’ was released nationwide on 12 December 2025 and opened to strong attendance across major cinema chains in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Accra. It recorded one of the highest opening weekends of the year and continued to show strong performance through the Christmas and Boxing Day period, when cinema attendance typically peaks, also becoming the fastest movie to make N500 million.
Behind the Scenes is a drama centred on Aderonke “Ronky-Fella” Faniran, a successful real estate entrepreneur whose personal generosity and commitment to helping those around her gradually begin to overwhelm her private life.
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As family members, friends, and associates place increasing demands on her time, money and emotional energy, Aderonke is forced to confront the consequences of having weak personal boundaries. The story explores themes of responsibility, emotional labour, family pressure, trust, and the cost of success, particularly for women in leadership positions.
The film was produced by Funke Akindele alongside Wendy Uwadiae Imasuen and co-directed by Akindele and Tunde Olaoye. Akindele also served as the film’s writer, supported by a team of screenwriters and creative consultants. The production combines contemporary urban settings with domestic family spaces, reinforcing the film’s focus on the tension between public success and private strain.
The cast features Nollywood stars and newer talents. Scarlet Gomez leads as Aderonke, alongside Iyabo Ojo, Tobi Bakre, Uzor Arukwe, Destiny Etiko, Uche Montana, Mr Macaroni, Ini Dima-Okojie, and Ibrahim Chatta. Funke Akindele appears in a supporting role, adding to the ensemble rather than leading it.
Many viewers have stated how the film reflects everyday social realities, particularly the expectations placed on successful individuals to constantly provide for others. Social media conversations around the film have focused on its emotional weight, family dynamics, and its portrayal of generosity becoming a burden.
Akindele, in a social media post celebrating the success, stated, “Forever grateful to God and my fans. Thank you for the love and support over the years. Big thanks to the distributors, cast, crew, and colleagues.”
Behind the Scenes was released during a busy December cinema season. Other films released around the same period included This Is Not a Nollywood Movie, a satirical comedy exploring the film industry itself; A Very Dirty Christmas, a holiday-themed relationship drama; Oversabi Aunty, a character-driven comedy; and Colours of Fire, a fantasy drama.
While the movie dominates at the box office, fellow filmmakers whose films are shown alongside Behind The Scenes keep advocating for the cinema business to honor agreed time slots for their projects in order to break even. Producers such as Niyi Akinmolayan, Ini Edo, and Toyin Abraham have voiced their concerns about these issues, hoping that distributors nationwide honor agreed time slots.
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The film’s box office also continues Funke Akindele’s record as Nollywood’s highest-grossing producer and director. With ‘Behind the Scenes’ becoming her third film to cross the N1 billion mark, she is now the only Nigerian filmmaker to have achieved that milestone three times.
Despite the competition, Behind the Scenes maintained strong daily earnings and remained among the top-performing films throughout the holiday season.
Industry analysts note that the film’s success reflects the growing interest in locally produced cinema content and the increasing willingness of Nigerian audiences to support theatrical releases.
The performance of Behind the Scenes is seen as another indicator of Nollywood’s expanding commercial strength and its ability to compete locally with international titles at the box office.
