Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham films to clash in cinemas this December
- Funke Akindele's The Four arrives in cinemas on December 11, five days before Toyin Abraham's Bestie.
- Fans of both actresses are comparing their promotion campaigns online, from Adire outfits to platform deals.
- Neither actress has said there is any rivalry between them.
Two of Nollywood's biggest names will be in cinemas within days of each other this December. Funke Akindele's The Four: No One Fights Alone opens on December 11, while Toyin Abraham's Bestie is expected on December 16, according to Tribune.
The dates have set off a fresh round of online comparison between the supporters of both women, who call themselves Titans and Jenifans. Neither actress has said the two releases are connected, and neither has spoken of any rivalry.
What fans are arguing about
Much of the talk has centred on how each star is promoting her film. Akindele and some of her team, including Wumi Toriola, Kemity and Lateef Adedimeji, wore matching blue Adire fabric carrying the title of her film to a birthday event for Nike Akinyemi, the head of KolonyEvents, Punch reported.
Abraham later posted pictures of herself in pink-and-orange Adire bearing the Bestie title. Some fans called it copying, pointing to her 2023 outfits for Malaika. Her designer said the fabric had been planned earlier.
Another flashpoint came from platform partnerships. Akindele announced a Facebook deal for her film on October 29, promising behind-the-scenes content. The next day, Abraham shared a throwback post about TikTok's work with her movie Oversabi Aunty, saying she looked forward to more collaborations ahead of Bestie.
Some users read the timing as a dig; others said she was simply celebrating past work. The two deals were not the same: Akindele held a watch party for behind-the-scenes footage, while Abraham attended a TikTok Africa event where the same film was screened.
Fans also traded claims about international media appearances after Akindele's CNN interview with Larry Madowo aired around October 30. Titans shared Abraham's 2023 CNN interview, while Jenifans pointed to Akindele's earlier CNN appearances.
A leaked audio recording of about 11 minutes, said to involve Abraham and a TikTok fan called Bisgold, added to the tension in mid-October. In it, Bisgold is heard insulting Akindele. Abraham did not publicly confirm that the voice was hers, and Bisgold later apologised to her. Actress Foluke Daramola defended Abraham online and was criticised by some fans for taking sides.
Older episodes still come up too, including a March 29 encounter at the premiere of Iyabo Ojo's The Return of Arinzo, after which the two actresses stopped following each other on social media.
What happens next
Both films are now in the busy December cinema season, when Nigerian audiences spend heavily on outings. Fans will be watching the box-office numbers as closely as the promotion. For now, the only certain contest is the one in the comments sections.
