NOLLYWOOD actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele has defended her marketing strategy, saying she hinders nobody’s progress in the industry.
Akindele’s reaction followed Kunle Afolayan’s recent remarks at the Lagos Business of Film Summit on January 30, where the filmmaker dismissed box office rivalry and criticised what he described as exhausting promotional gimmicks associated with cinema releases.
”I’ll make a film, if you guarantee me, I’ll not dance to sell that film…I don’t know how Funke and the likes are doing it.”
Afolayan also suggested that streaming platforms such as Netflix offered better returns with less promotional pressure, citing Aníkúlápó: Rise of the Spectre as an example of how minimal promotion could generate global interest.
In another video that began trending on Saturday, he added that he was not interested in box office records or competing for cinema revenue.
“I will continue to say it: there is no competition. I don’t want ₦2 billion in the cinema. I don’t even want ₦1 billon in the cinema; if I can’t take ₦10 million,” Afolayan said.
In what appeared to be a response to the criticism around her marketing styles and box office success, Akindele took to her Instagram story on Saturday, January 31, to defend her approach and called for mutual respect within the industry.
“I’m not the one hindering your progress. Ka rin ka po, yiye nin ye ni, (meaning the more, the merrier)” she wrote.
The actress, widely known for her energetic and dance-driven promotional campaigns, stressed that success in Nollywood should not be uniform, adding that the industry was big enough for everyone to thrive.
“If you can’t beat them or join them, create your own path. No allow jealousy burn you. The sky is so big for everybody to fly,” she added.
Akindele further stressed that her critics should embrace innovation rather than criticise marketing styles that work for others.
“Go ahead and create alternative promotion or marketing strategies for promoting your business or hire a company to handle it.
“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,” she stressed.
Akindele’s remarks came amid her recent Nollywood milestones, including her Behind The Scenes, which crossed the ₦2 billion mark, becoming the highest-grossing Nollywood film to date.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M