Nollywood’s highest-grossing filmmaker and actress, Funke Akindele has set an ambitious target for her new film, The Four: No One Fights Alone, declaring that her goal is to generate at least ₦5 billion this year.
She made this known during a special #WithChude conversation with Chude Jideonwo at CANEX WKND 2026 in Lagos, where she spoke about the business of filmmaking, the power of intentional marketing, the demands of building a lasting brand and her determination to keep breaking records.
For Akindele, marketing is not an afterthought to making a film; it is central to the entire business. She described her approach as a continuous process of understanding audiences, studying what they enjoy and finding new ways to keep them interested. From creating funny videos and spoken-word content to working with influencers and building strategic partnerships, she believes filmmakers must be intentional about how they sell their work. “Marketing for me is everything.
PR is everything,” she said, explaining that she is willing to rethink her approach, change her style and try new ideas to ensure that audiences connect with what she is selling. She also spoke about the importance of understanding different audiences, from parents to Gen Zs, and creating content that speaks to them.
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But behind the consistency audiences see is a very human experience of exhaustion, disappointment and having to begin again.
Recalling the campaign for one of her previous films, Akindele described how she became frustrated when some cast members did not participate in the promotional activities as expected. She eventually decided to take greater control of the process, working with her videographer to create fresh content herself. At one point, exhausted and struggling to remember her lines while filming a spoken-word video, she stopped the shoot and went home in tears.
Three days later, she returned to finish it. Her lesson was simple: “There are days you want to give up. But you have to be resilient. You have to keep pushing because you have a purpose.” She also emphasised the importance of having people who believe in your vision, reminding the audience that no one has to build alone.
That philosophy is reflected in the title of her new film, The Four: No One Fights Alone. Akindele also spoke about her determination to keep breaking records and taking Nollywood to a wider global audience. She revealed that The Four is the first Nollywood film to premiere at Odeon Luxe in the United Kingdom, with its UK premiere scheduled for November 29 and tickets already sold out. For her, these milestones matter because they create opportunities to take Nigerian filmmaking to the world and demonstrate what the industry can achieve.
“I need to keep breaking more records. More grounds,” she said. With a ₦5 billion target for The Four, Akindele is once again setting her sights on what is possible for Nollywood.
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