Toyin Abraham has responded to comments by her colleague Kunle Afolayan on filmmakers’ profits after their projects cross over N1 billion at the box office.
Speaking at the premiere of the newly released sequel to ‘Anikulapo’, Afolayan suggested that some filmmakers make less than N10 million in profit even when their movies earn over a billion naira in cinemas.
“There’s no competition. I don’t want two billion naira in cinema, or even one billion naira, if I won’t make ten million naira from it,” he said.
The comments sparked criticism online, with some viewing them as dismissive of the financial risks and labour involved in filmmaking.
In a statement on Monday, Samuel Olatunji, Abraham’s manager, said Afolayan initiated a phone call to explain the context of his remarks, during which Abraham shared her concerns about how the comments could be interpreted.
He added that Afolayan explained the context, and the matter was resolved amicably between them.
“During that conversation, she expressed her concerns, particularly about how the comments could be interpreted as disregarding the efforts of others,” the statement reads in part.
“Mr Afolayan clarified the context and intent of his remarks, and the issue was addressed maturely. Both parties have since moved on.”
Olatunji described it as unfortunate that some people expected Abraham to publicly criticise Afolayan, stressing that their long-standing professional relationship has never been marked by conflict.
He also dismissed online claims suggesting Abraham kept silent because she had earlier questioned whether films could genuinely gross N1 billion at the box office.
“This narrative is completely untrue. She is close to industry stakeholders responsible for box office reporting and has access to certified and verifiable figures,” the statement added.
“There is no basis for doubting credible numbers.”
It described Afolayan’s N10 million remark as “clearly sarcastic” and urged the industry to focus on systemic issues affecting profitability, rather than fostering public disagreements.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mr Afolayan’s reference to ten million naira was clearly sarcastic. No producer earns ten million naira from a one billion naira or two billion naira box office performance,” it added.
Abraham and Funke Akindele are the only two filmmakers to have achieved a N1 billion box office gross in Nollywood.
Her clarification comes amid an ongoing public disagreement between Akindele and Afolayan.
Afolayan recently described the current, relentless cycle of content creation required to market films as “unsustainable”.
He cited the exhaustive demand as a primary reason he has stepped back from producing cinema releases.
Afolayan also appeared to have taken a swipe at Akindele’s marketing strategies for her releases, saying he’ll never dance and do skits to promote films.
Akindele responded publicly, asserting that creators can and should develop their own promotional models and that “the sky was big enough for everyone to fly”.
