Nollywood director Kunle Afolayan has responded after actress and producer Toyin Abraham seemingly mocked him in a social media post, following his recent remarks about earnings from cinema releases.
The situation began on Thursday, January 30, when Afolayan Actor Kunle Afolayan Unveils KAP Film Village and Resort expressed that he wasn’t concerned with films making ₦1 billion or ₦2 billion at the box office if he couldn’t personally take home at least ₦10 million from such projects.
Although he didn’t mention any colleagues directly, many interpreted his comments as a critique of filmmakers celebrating large box office numbers.
Recently, Nigerian films have been achieving significant commercial success.
Funke Akindele’s latest movie reportedly earned around ₦2.4 billion domestically, while Toyin Abraham’s Oversabi Aunty surpassed the ₦1 billion mark.
Funke Akindele was the first to respond, reminding Afolayan that she wasn’t responsible for any obstacles in his career and pointing out that he chose to release one of his indigenous films on Netflix.
She also referred to him as “Werey Jojo,” sparking more discussion online.
Toyin Abraham later joined the conversation by posting a playful video on Instagram.
In the clip, she acted out a dialogue with herself, referencing a filmmaker who supposedly claimed it was impossible to make ₦10 million from a film that grossed ₦1 billion in cinemas.
In jest, she asked Nigerians in Canada to help boost Oversabi Aunty’s box office to ₦1.5 billion so it could generate at least ₦15 million.
Afolayan didn’t let the joke go unnoticed.
Commenting on the video, he wrote in Yoruba, “Toyin, Omo ale! Emi lo nba wi abi?”
which translates to, “Toyin, bastard! Am I the one you’re talking about?”
