- Nollywood director Kunle Afolayan has reacted to comments made by actress and producer Toyin Abraham who appeared to mock him on social media.
- Afolayan sparked controversy when he said he was not interested in making more than £1bn or £2bn if he didn’t personally make at least £10m from a film.
- Afolayan’s comments highlight concerns about personal financial gain from the success of films in the Nigerian film industry.
Nollywood director Kunle Afolayan has reacted to actress and producer Toyin Abraham after he appeared to mock him in a social media post following his recent remarks about income from movie distribution.
The situation started on Thursday, January 30, when Afolayan actor Kunle Afolayan unveiled the KAP Movie Village and Resort, saying that he doesn’t care about a movie that grosses £1 billion or £2 billion at the box office if he doesn’t personally earn at least £10 million from such a project.
Although he didn’t mention any colleagues directly, many interpreted his comments as a criticism of filmmakers who celebrate high box office numbers. Nigerian films have achieved great commercial success in recent years. Funke Akindele’s latest film reportedly took in around £2.4 billion at the domestic box office, while Toyin Abraham’s Oversabi Aunty passed the £1 billion mark.
Funke Akindele was the first to respond, reminding Afolayan that she was not responsible for any setbacks in his career, noting that he chose to release one of his indigenous films on Netflix. She also called him “Werey Jojo,” sparking more discussion online.
Toyin Abraham later joined the conversation by posting a funny video on Instagram. In the video, she talks to herself, quoting a film producer who allegedly claimed it was impossible to make £10m from a film that made £1bn in cinemas. She jokingly asked Nigerians in Canada to help boost Aunt Osabi’s box office to £1.5 billion so that it could generate at least £15 million.
The joke didn’t go unnoticed by Afolayan. Commenting on the video, he wrote in Yoruba: “Huo Yin, he is God! Isn’t that what you said?” Which translates to “Toyin, bastard! Am I who you say you are?”
See the post below:
Read some of the comments below:
@damilolami001: “This is unacceptable to Funke Akindele. Kunle afolayan did not say anything bad about her, she took it personally.”
@realfummy_show “You see this life is not hard, she uses subs to create content and even the shaders have a laugh. Aye yo lee 🙌🙌.”
@miss.zee_ceozealklin “He is actually very cute, he just entered FA this time.”
@realopeolofin: “He didn’t even shade Toyin in the first place. He specified the number 2b and we knew who made 2b so Toyin wasn’t shaded.”
@peju_0 “No why do we call her the best in the world🙌🔥😂😂.”
@iammrs_bini: “Anyone who understands how business works will know Kunle is right. So many shorts and you will become an influencer, pay for the location and the cinema will take their percentage as soon as possible… which is good.”
@olufunshoademowo: “Honestly, I’ve watched it over 20 times😂😂😂😂.”
@officialoyedokun_abosede “Respectful response from sabi aunty.”
@uniqueelegantdesigns: “Seriously, not that deep 😂😂😂mom just hanging around.”
@tiara_king22: “Life isn’t that hard at all, Funk is just overthinking it, as if the brothers have bad intentions. Now look at his reaction to Toyin, everyone was not cheering for Toyin yesterday because of this video she dropped. Rich people don’t fight with poor people, they practice yoga up and down.”
@virgo_luxuryjewels: “Life isn’t hard, make more money😂😂😂.”
