By Naomi Jeremiah
Funke Akindele has once again rewritten Nollywood history.
Her latest film, Behind The Scenes, has officially overtaken Everybody Loves Jenifa to become West Africa’s highest-grossing film of all time, setting a new benchmark for the region’s film industry.
According to box office performance data from cinema distributors and industry trackers across West Africa, the film’s record-breaking run underscores both the growing commercial strength of locally produced films and Funke Akindele’s continued dominance as Nollywood’s most bankable filmmaker.
As of the most recent cinema weekend, Behind The Scenes has recorded an estimated ₦1.77 billion in cumulative box office revenue.
One of its standout moments came on Boxing Day, when the film posted a ₦129.5 million single-day gross, one of the highest ever recorded in Nollywood history.
In terms of audience turnout, the film leads West Africa’s 2025 cinema admissions ranking, with 223,768 admissions between January 1 and December 31, 2025. This is significantly higher than Everybody Loves Jenifa, which recorded 148,863 admissions during the same period.
The data reflects not just rising ticket prices, but a noticeably larger cinema-going audience across the region.
Beyond becoming the highest-grossing film in West Africa, Behind The Scenes is also the highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far.
The film marks Funke Akindele’s third ₦1 billion movie, an achievement that remains unprecedented in Nollywood.
Its success is partly driven by a star-studded ensemble cast that cuts across generations and fan bases, including:
Wanni x Handi, Uche Montana, Scarlet Gomez, Tobi Bakre, Uzor Arukwe, Vee, Mr Macaroni, Ini Dima-Okojie, Iyabo Ojo, Ibrahim Chatta, Dele Odule, Destiny Etiko, Kamo, Afeez Oyetoro, and Ejiro Onojafe.
This broad demographic appeal helped sustain strong box office momentum weeks after its release.
The performance of Behind The Scenes further highlights Nollywood’s transition into a data-driven, big-budget industry capable of delivering consistent theatrical returns.
Funke Akindele previously revealed that the film’s production budget was close to ₦1 billion, underscoring the growing scale and financial risk of modern Nigerian filmmaking.
Despite this, the film’s box office run has proven that audiences are willing to show up and pay for quality, well-marketed local productions.
Source: Nairametrics