Nollywood actress, filmmaker and producer Funke Akindele has continued to cement her status as one of the most commercially successful figures in Nigeria’s film industry, recording an unprecedented run of box office successes over the past five years.
In the last five years the Ikorodu, Lagos State-born thespian has reportedly grossed over six billion naira at the box office. In 2020 Omo Ghetto (636M), 2022 Battle on Buka Street (668M), 2023 A Tribe Called Judah (1.4B), 2024 Everybody Loves Jenifa (1.88B) and in 2025, Behind the Scenes (1.77B)
Industry box office figures show that Akindele’s commercial rise gathered momentum in 2020 with the release of Omo Ghetto: The Saga, which grossed over ₦636 million nationwide. The Christmas Day release marked a turning point, positioning her as a dependable box office force and signalling a new era of high-grossing Nigerian cinema releases.
She sustained this momentum in 2022 with Battle on Buka Street, which earned approximately ₦668 million at the box office. The comedy-drama ranked among the highest-grossing films of the year and notably outperformed several foreign titles in Nigerian cinemas, further strengthening Akindele’s appeal to local audiences.
The record-breaking streak peaked in 2023 when A Tribe Called Judah crossed the ₦1 billion mark, eventually grossing an estimated ₦1.4 billion. The film became one of the first Nollywood productions to achieve the milestone, marking a watershed moment for the industry. Akindele surpassed that achievement the following year with Everybody Loves Jenifa, which generated nearly ₦1.88 billion to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time.
In 2025, her dominance continued with Behind the Scenes, which reportedly earned over ₦1.7 billion within weeks of release, emerging as the top domestic film of the year. With multiple billion-naira titles to her name, Akindele now occupies three of the top four positions on the list of Nigeria’s highest-grossing films, underscoring her influence, consistency and lasting impact on Nollywood’s commercial growth.
