When Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde took Mother’s Love to the cinemas in March 2026, the film came with an unusual promise.
The actress, producer and director had announced that the money that would accrue to her production company, RedHot Concepts, from the cinema run would be donated to charity. The beneficiary was Slum2School Africa, with the funds meant to support the education of children from underserved communities.
The film went on to cross the ₦100 million mark at the box office, reaching the milestone in April. But months later, Omotola has returned to give the public the financial account she promised.
Her revelation has raised eyebrows because the figure that ultimately accrued to her production company was nowhere near the movie’s headline box-office figure. According to Omotola, Mother’s Love ended its cinema run with ₦103,094,663, but after deductions, just ₦22,276,558 accrued to RedHot Concepts.
And there is another twist. The entire ₦22.27 million has now been donated.
The Movie That Marked A New Chapter For Omotola
Mother’s Love was more than another acting project for Omotola. The family drama marked her first film as a director and producer, taking her from being one of Nollywood’s most recognisable actresses to taking greater control behind the camera.
The film opened in Nigerian cinemas on March 6, 2026, after its Lagos premiere on March 1. It crossed ₦25 million in its opening weekend. But from the beginning, Omotola’s focus was not simply on how much money the movie could make.
In March, she announced that 100 per cent of the proceeds accruing to RedHot Concepts from the theatrical run would go to Slum2School Africa. The organisation would use the funds to support education for children in underserved communities, including children connected to the Makoko community.
That decision meant that the eventual amount coming to the production company would matter for a reason beyond profit. Every naira that accrued to RedHot Concepts would ultimately become part of the charitable contribution.
A Privilege And Opportunity To Share Update
After the cinema run ended, Omotola promised to give an account. She has now fulfilled that promise. In a video explaining the figures, she began by taking viewers back to the final day of the movie’s theatrical journey.
“So our last cinema run was actually on the 19th of April. What a beautiful day it was. I remember very, very, very vividly.”
She recalled being at the cinema with her team and described the experience as memorable, particularly because it was her first time taking a film through a cinema run as a filmmaker.
“We were all at the cinema. We ended at the cinema in ICM, Ikeja. Thank you so much to the manager of that cinema who always… always welcomed us with warm hugs. We had a nice time at the cinema.”
There was also a pastor who attended the final screening, prayed for the team and helped bring the cinema journey to an end. And, in keeping with the celebration, there was cake and champagne.
“As usual, we popped champagnes and we brought the cake with us.”
For Omotola, however, the cinema experience was not without its challenges.
Why Omotola Pulled The Film From Cinemas
One of the more revealing parts of her account was her explanation for why she eventually pulled Mother’s Love from the cinemas.
According to her, she had pressing matters that required her to travel. But leaving the film in cinemas while she was away would have created another problem: promotion.
Omotola explained that filmmakers are expected to keep showing up when their movies are in cinemas, meeting audiences, promoting the film and supporting its theatrical run. She admitted that this was a challenge she had not been prepared for.
“And as you know, when your movie is in the cinema, you have to promote, promote, promote and show up. That was a challenge I wasn’t ready for.”
Still, she said she embraced the challenge.
“But as I said earlier, I grabbed it with both hands.”
Ultimately, she decided that it would be unfair to the film to leave it running without being available to promote it properly.
“But I knew that I would do the movie a disservice if I left it in the cinemas and I would not have the time to promote it or to be there in the cinema as the culture was, or is at this time, to meet with fans and promote it vividly.”
She therefore brought the cinema run to an end on April 19. By then, however, Mother’s Love had already achieved a significant milestone.
The ₦103m Headline
On April 13, reports emerged that Mother’s Love had crossed the ₦100 million mark at the box office. The milestone placed the film among Nollywood’s ₦100 million-plus cinema releases and came with the added distinction of its charitable model.
Omotola has now provided the final figure. According to her, the movie’s total gross at the end of its run was ₦103,094,663. She was careful to explain that this was the amount after the deductions associated with the theatrical run.
“At the end of our run, we had made ₦103,094,663.”
But that figure was not the amount that went to her production company. This is where the story gets interesting.
So, Where Did The Other ₦80m Go?
Omotola explained that the box-office figure was subject to several deductions before the amount accruing to RedHot Concepts could be determined.
She listed exhibitors, distributors, print and advertising value, VAT, entertainment tax and withholding tax among the deductions.
“After deductions from exhibitors, distributors, print and advertising value added tax called VAT, entertainment tax and withholding tax, all deductions and everything else from cinemas, the money that was accrued to us as producers of Mother’s Love was ₦22 million, 276 thousand, 558.”
In other words, the ₦103.09 million box-office gross was not the same thing as the amount that went to the producers. The figure that accrued to RedHot Concepts was ₦22,276,558. That is the figure that has now prompted the strongest reactions around Omotola’s revelation.
At first glance, the difference is striking: a film that crossed ₦100 million at the box office ultimately left its production company with just over ₦22 million after the listed deductions.
But there is an important distinction.
Omotola did not say she personally received ₦22.27 million. She said that amount accrued to RedHot Concepts as the producers, and that the company had already committed that money to charity.
The ₦22.2m Charity
This is perhaps the most important part of the revelation. The ₦22,276,558 was not treated as Omotola’s personal earnings from the film.
From the beginning, RedHot Concepts had promised that the proceeds accruing to the company would be donated to Slum2School Africa. Omotola has now confirmed that the promise was fulfilled.
“100% of that money, as promised by Red Hot Concepts, was donated to the NGO Slum2School.”
She also gave a specific date for the transfer. According to her, on July 7, 2026, the distributors, Nile Entertainment, transferred the money to the NGO.
“On the 7th of July, 2026, our amazing distributors, Nile Entertainment, transferred that sum of money to our NGO beneficiary, Slum2School Africa.”
So, after all the deductions, the amount that finally accrued to RedHot Concepts did not become an income stream for the filmmaker.
It became the donation.
From Cinema Tickets To Children’s Education
Omotola says RedHot Concepts will not simply hand over the money and walk away. She explained that she and her team intend to follow up with Slum2School Africa to ensure that the funds are used for the purpose for which they were donated.
“The team and I are very, very thankful. Thankful to you for going to watch Mother’s Love because you made it possible.”
She added:
“We at Red Hot Concepts will now be following up with Slum to School Africa to make sure that this money is used very, very judiciously for the children that we have sent it to be used for.”
The original goal, she reminded viewers, was to use the money to advance the education of children from underserved communities.
“As you remember, we want this money to be used for the advancement of the education of children from underserved communities.”
For Omotola, therefore, the cinema numbers tell only one part of the story.
The ₦103 million represents what audiences spent on the film during its theatrical run. The ₦22.27 million represents what eventually accrued to the production company after the deductions she outlined.
And the latter amount has now gone towards the social cause that was attached to the project from the beginning.
Why The ₦22m Figure Has Sparked Reactions
The revelation inevitably changes how some people will look at the movie’s ₦100 million-plus milestone. On the surface, crossing ₦100 million sounds like a major financial win. It is also a significant achievement for a first-time director taking her own film to cinemas.
But Omotola’s breakdown shows why a cinema gross should not automatically be read as the amount a producer takes home.
The box-office figure passes through several layers before the producer’s share is determined. That is why the most striking part of Omotola’s revelation is not necessarily that Mother’s Love “made ₦103 million” and she “got ₦22 million.”
It is that ₦103 million was the final box-office gross, ₦22.27 million accrued to the production company after deductions, and even that ₦22.27 million was given away.
Whether people see that as a financial loss, a modest return or a successful charitable project depends largely on what they believe the primary goal of the film was.
Omotola herself appears clear about that goal.
Not The Last
Despite the challenges of making, directing, promoting and taking Mother’s Love to cinemas, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde says the experience has not discouraged her from filmmaking. Instead, she sees it as the beginning of something bigger.
“This was my first movie ever, which I produced and directed. And it will not be the last, God willing.”
She thanked the audiences who went to see the film, the distribution team, her RedHot Concepts staff and the partners who helped make the project possible. And she asked audiences to support whatever comes next.
“Please go out from now on to support us in other projects that we’re going to be doing.”
She also made clear that the charitable element is something she wants to continue.
“We promise the best we can to also use our gifts and our talents as we have done right now to support humanity as this is a very big part of our company and our CSR.”
More Than A Box-Office Number
The final numbers from Mother’s Love may have created a new conversation about what it really means when a Nollywood film grosses millions of naira at the box office and how much the producer really takes home.
But for Omotola, the final account appears to be about more than the difference between ₦103 million and ₦22 million.
She set out to make her first film as a director and producer, took it through a demanding cinema run, watched it cross the ₦100 million milestone and ultimately converted the money that accrued to her production company into a contribution towards children’s education.
