Omotola Ekeinde reveals she earned N22m from her N103m cinema film and donated 10% to Slum to School

Nollywood actress and producer Omotola Ekeinde has revealed that her film A Mother’s Love grossed N103,094,633 at the Nigerian cinema, but only N22 million was eventually accrued to the producers, as she fulfilled a promise to donate part of the proceeds to charity.

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Ekeinde disclosed the figures in a video shared online while explaining the financial outcome of the film’s cinema run and her decision to contribute 10 per cent of the producers’ earnings to the NGO Slum to School.

The actress said the film’s cinema run ended on April 19 after what she described as a challenging but rewarding experience.

According to Ekeinde, the N103 million box-office figure did not represent the amount ultimately received by the production team because several deductions were made along the distribution chain.

She listed exhibitors, distributors, advertising costs, VAT, entertainment tax, withholding tax and other charges among the deductions that significantly reduced the producers’ final earnings.

“At the end of our run, we had made N103,094,633. After deduction from exhibitors, value added tax, entertainment tax, withholding tax, and every other thing, the money that was accrued to us as producers of Mother’s Love was N22 million,” Ekeinde said.

The difference between the reported cinema gross and the producers’ earnings highlights the financial complexities involved in releasing Nigerian films theatrically, where box-office receipts are shared among various stakeholders and subject to statutory deductions.

Ekeinde also explained that she had to withdraw the film from cinemas earlier than planned because of pressing commitments that prevented her from giving the project the promotional attention she believed it needed.

She said remaining in cinemas without adequate promotion could have done the film a disservice, particularly because cinema runs require producers and actors to actively engage audiences.

“Our last cinema run was on the 19th of April; it was a beautiful day. I had a nice time at the cinema, and it was my first time doing cinema runs,” she said.

The experience, she added, presented a new challenge for her as a producer, particularly because of the expectation that filmmakers should show up and promote their projects directly.

Despite the shortened run and the substantial deductions, the film crossed the N100 million mark at the box office, giving the production a notable commercial performance.

Ekeinde also kept to a charitable commitment connected to the project.

She said 10 per cent of the N22 million accrued to the producers was donated to Slum to School, an organisation involved in supporting children and improving access to education.

“Ten per cent of that money, as promised by Red Hot, was donated to the NGO, Slum to School,” she said.

The donation adds a philanthropic dimension to the film’s commercial journey, with Ekeinde choosing to direct part of the producers’ actual earnings towards an organisation focused on children’s welfare and education.

Her disclosure also offers audiences a closer look at the gap between a film’s headline box-office figure and what producers may eventually receive after industry and statutory deductions.

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For Ekeinde, A Mother’s Love has therefore become more than a cinema release, combining a significant box-office milestone with a learning experience about theatrical distribution and a contribution to charity.