|By Queen Banigo
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has reacted sharply to comments made by her colleague, Kunle Afolayan, on cinema profit margins and aggressive movie marketing strategies, describing his remarks as driven by jealousy.
Afolayan, in a series of recent public appearances, questioned the sustainability of current promotional tactics used by some filmmakers to achieve blockbuster cinema success. Speaking during the launch of his movie Aníkúlápó, the award-winning filmmaker dismissed box office milestones as the ultimate measure of success.
“There is no competition between us. I don’t just want N1 billion or N2 billion in the cinema that I won’t be able to personally receive N10 million from,” Afolayan said.
He further expanded on his position at the Lagos Business of Film Summit, where he explained his reluctance to align with cinema-driven marketing models. According to him, he prefers alternative promotional approaches that do not require constant skit-making or social media performances.
“I want to make a film if you can guarantee I don’t have to dance to sell. We need to come up with other strategies. How do we sell without exhausting ourselves? I don’t know how the likes of Funke Akindele and others are doing it—creating skits every day, changing costumes all the time. I can’t do it,” he stated.
Reacting via her Instagram story, Akindele did not hold back. The box office record holder, who has consistently posted billion-naira cinema figures, attributed Afolayan’s comments to envy and urged him to focus on his own creative journey.
“I’m not the one hindering your progress. Ka rin ka po, yiyé ni ń yé ni,” she wrote.
She advised filmmakers to embrace innovation rather than resentment, stressing that success in the industry has multiple paths.
“If you can’t beat them or join them, create your own path. Don’t allow jealousy burn you. The sky is so big for everybody to fly. You can do it. The opportunities are endless, and everyone has their own path. I’m focused on mine, and I have faith in God’s plan for me,” Akindele said.
The actress also encouraged Afolayan to explore alternative marketing options or outsource promotional efforts if current methods do not align with his style.
“Go ahead and create alternative promotion or marketing strategies for promoting your business, or hire a company to handle it,” she added.
Afolayan’s comments come amid record-breaking box office performances by Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, whose films have crossed the N1 billion and N2 billion marks in Nigerian cinemas, setting new benchmarks for commercial success in Nollywood.
