LAGOS — December is once again Funke Akindele's month. The Nollywood star, whose films have topped Africa's box office three years running, returns to cinemas on Friday, December 11, 2026, with The Four: No One Fights Alone.

The film is an emotional drama about friendship, motherhood and resilience. It follows four strong women who band together to protect the future of a young man they love, in a story that moves between a close-knit community called Odu and the city. Music, fashion, language and local tradition all play a part in the storytelling.

Akindele wrote, directed and produced the film through her company, Funke Akindele Network (FAAN TV), and it is distributed by FilmOne Entertainment for a global cinema release. Reports describe it as her first feature in recent years that she has directed alone, after co-directing her recent hits.

She has said audiences have grown with her over the years and expect stories that entertain while reflecting who they are.

A star-studded cast

Akindele leads the film as Labake, alongside Bisola Aiyeola, Chioma Akpotha and singer Waje, who make up the core group of women. The wider ensemble includes Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD), Timini Egbuson, Lateef Adedimeji, Ali Nuhu, Uzor Arukwe, Ronke Oshodi Oke, Antar Laniyan and Wunmi Toriola, with appearances from Afrobeats artist Shoday and entertainment personalities Samuel Banks, Kolapo Omotosho and Ayomide Iwasokun.

Why all eyes are on December 11

Few filmmakers in Africa can match Akindele's box-office pull. Her December releases have broken record after record:

  • Battle on Buka Street (2022) became Nollywood's highest-grossing film at the time, with ₦640 million.
  • Everybody Loves Jenifa (2024) earned about ₦1.88 billion, another all-time record.
  • Behind the Scenes (2025) closed at about ₦2.1 billion, becoming the first Nollywood film to cross ₦2 billion and West Africa's highest-grossing film ever.

According to her distributor, FilmOne, Akindele is the first filmmaker to rank number one at the African box office for three consecutive years, and the region's highest-grossing filmmaker, writer, director and producer of all time.

With a December release date, a big cast and that track record, The Four is widely expected to be one of the biggest African films of the festive season. Details of screenings in Ghana are yet to be announced.