Funke Akindele Set To Release New Film After Record-Breaking Box Office Success

Nigerian filmmaker and actress Funke Akindele is set to release another movie, The Four: No One Fights Alone, on December 11, following her record-breaking success at the box office.

The film, her eighth major theatrical production, tells the story of four determined women fighting for the future of a young man they love.

Speaking about her storytelling approach, Akindele told CNN’s Larry Madowo:

“I tell the Nigerian or the African stories that people can sit back, relate to, but I make sure it’s a global standard, so that when it cuts across, they can understand it and we get more audience,”

Akindele cemented her position as Africa’s highest-grossing filmmaker with her 2025 movie Behind the Scenes, which generated over N2 billion, becoming the first Nollywood film to reach the milestone.

Her 2023 production, A Tribe Called Judah, also made history as the first Nollywood movie to cross N1 billion at the box office. Her earlier hit, Jenifa, released in 2008, launched her to stardom and later inspired successful sequels.

Despite her achievements, Akindele identified distribution as a major challenge facing African filmmakers, stressing the importance of international partnerships and collaboration.

“Our major barrier is distribution,” she said, adding that global partnerships could improve access to technology, production standards and wider audiences.

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She also urged filmmakers to prioritise authentic storytelling, saying: “Ambition is good, but it’s not what will sell the film. It’s the fact that you’re doing something [with] quality, something real, authentic,”

Having appeared in more than 100 films since her acting debut in 1998, Akindele said she hopes to be remembered for creating opportunities for women and other creatives to develop their talents and have their voices heard.