The Story⚡
After their acclaimed collaboration on The Griot, writer Temilolu Fosudo and director Adeoluwa Owu reunite for The Benefactor. Here’s how its first week played out.
Tell Me More
Debuting on August 8, 2025, The Benefactor tells the story of Tuntunlade, a breakout star basking in the height of her fame. But when a man who once jump-started her career makes an impossible demand, and she dares to resist, a tangled web of power, loyalty, and complicity begins to unravel.
The psychological drama marks Temilolu Fosudo’s box office debut as writer and is directed by Adeoluwa Owu, who also co-produced alongside Bimbo Ademoye and Folakemi Bello. The film features a powerhouse cast including Bimbo Manuel, Akin Lewis, Kunle Remi, Tobi Makinde, Joke Muyiwa, and many others. Distribution is handled by Cinemax.
At the box office, the film posted a strong opening weekend: ₦3.02 million on day one, ₦3.77 million on day two, and ₦6.46 million on day three, bringing its debut weekend total to ₦13.26 million. The momentum continued into the week, with ₦1.23 million (day four), ₦1.43 million (day five), ₦1.70 million (day six), and ₦1.63 million (day seven), closing its first week with a cumulative ₦19.27 million.
With those numbers, The Benefactor secured the fifth spot on the Nigerian box office chart in its opening week.
Day 1: ₦3.02 million
Day 2: ₦3.77 million
Day 3: ₦6.46 million
Opening Weekend Total: ₦13.26 million
Day 4: ₦1.23 million
Day 5: ₦1.43 million
Day 6: ₦1.70 million
Day 7: ₦1.63 million
Opening Week Total: ₦19.27 million
Top 5 Movies Last Weekend
5. The Benefactor
Adeoluwa Owu’s psychological drama debuted with ₦13.26 million in its opening weekend and closed its first week at ₦19.27 million.
4. Hakeem (Seeking Justice)
In its second week, Abdulrasheed “JJC Skillz” Bello’s action thriller delivered ₦14.98 million over the weekend and ₦23.12 million across the full week, bringing its running total to ₦56.68 million.
3. Weapons
Opening alongside The Benefactor, the American mystery-horror posted ₦18.85 million in its first weekend and ₦30.79 million for the week.
2. Superman
Now in week five, the superhero juggernaut held steady at No. 2, pulling in ₦19.36 million over the weekend and ₦31.21 million for the week, lifting its cume to a towering ₦436.62 million.
1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Still dominating in its third week, the Marvel blockbuster collected ₦41.66 million across its weekend and ₦64.99 million during the full week, pushing its total haul to ₦309.30 million.
In Summary
The Benefactor opened to a modest ₦19.27 million in its debut week, ranking fifth at the box office. While its pace isn’t spectacular, the film could still build traction with strong word-of-mouth. The lingering question is whether it can crawl toward the coveted ₦100 million benchmark.
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