Funke Akindele and Tunde Olaoye have emerged as the leading Nollywood directors on Nigeria’s 2025 box-office chart, with films attached to each filmmaker generating about ₦1.32 billion during the year.

The ranking, released by Nigerian data and visualisation company StatiSense and based on figures from the 2025 Nigeria Box Office Yearbook, highlights the growing commercial strength of locally produced films in Nigerian cinemas. The yearbook records Behind the Scenes, which was co-directed by Akindele and Olaoye, at approximately ₦1.32 billion in its 2025 theatrical run.

Adebayo Tijani followed with films generating ₦1.159 billion, while Tope Adebayo ranked next with ₦852 million.

Yehi Morafa, popularly known as Film Boy, occupied the next position with ₦522 million, followed by Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi with ₦480 million and Kayode Kasum with ₦422 million.

Muyiwa Ademola recorded ₦419 million, while Biodun Stephen and Adeoluwa Owu followed with ₦341 million and ₦248 million, respectively. Daniel Etim Effiong was also listed among the leading performers, with films associated with him generating ₦193 million.

StatiSense said the filmmakers in the top 10 were collectively attached to films that generated at least ₦5.97 billion at the Nigerian box office in 2025.

For Akindele, the strong 2025 performance was driven in large part by Behind the Scenes, which she produced and co-directed with Olaoye. The film, released in Nigerian cinemas on December 12, 2025, centres on Aderonke Faniran, a successful real-estate entrepreneur played by Scarlet Gomez, whose generosity and personal choices begin to affect her relationships and private life.

The movie enjoyed a remarkable theatrical run. It crossed ₦1 billion in December 2025 and later became the first Nollywood film to surpass ₦2 billion, with FilmOne Entertainment reporting ticket sales of more than ₦2.1 billion in January 2026.

The success added another major achievement to Akindele’s already impressive box-office record. Her previous hits include Battle on Buka Street, A Tribe Called Judah and Everybody Loves Jenifa, with the latter earning about ₦1.88 billion and setting a major West African box-office record before Behind the Scenes raised the bar again.

Olaoye, meanwhile, was also attached to other successful projects, including Singleness Is Bliss, while his collaboration with Akindele on Behind the Scenes placed him alongside one of Nollywood’s strongest commercial forces.

Other filmmakers on the 2025 ranking also recorded notable cinema performances. Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi, for instance, was associated with films including Oversabi Aunty, while Muyiwa Ademola directed Ori: The Rebirth, which was among the notable Nigerian releases of the year.

The figures underline the continued growth of Nigeria’s theatrical film market and the increasing ability of Nollywood filmmakers to turn locally produced stories into major commercial successes.

With billions of naira generated by films connected to the industry’s leading directors, the 2025 figures further demonstrate the growing importance of cinema audiences to Nollywood’s business and creative ecosystem.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia