The third installment of the Now You See Me franchise, titled Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, debuted in Nigerian cinemas over the weekend, claiming the number one position at the box office.
The film earned an impressive N34.2 million between November 14th and 16th, securing the top spot across the country.
This new chapter arrives nearly a decade after the previous entry in the series.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t continues the franchise’s established theme of blending heist drama with elaborate magical illusions. The film is tasked with reviving a series known globally for its focus on deception and high-tech trickery.
Much of the original ensemble returns Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, and Lizzy Caplan while a younger generation of illusionists joins the fold. Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, and Rosamund Pike round out the cast, signalling a deliberate bridging of old and new.
The plot picks up twelve years after the events of the first film. A trio of rising magicians, Charlie, Bosco Leroy, and June McClure, capture the world’s attention after staging a faux Four Horsemen performance built on deepfakes, holograms, and digital sleight of hand. In true franchise spirit, they expose and financially drain a corrupt cryptocurrency exchange owner, redistributing the funds to the unsuspecting crowd.
Their bold stunt attracts J. Daniel Atlas, one of the original Horsemen, who brings with him a new mission, one delivered through a mysterious tarot card allegedly from the Eye, the secret society that has long guided the group’s exploits.
Their target is “the Heart,” the largest diamond in the world, currently held by Veronika Vanderberg, the steely head of a South African diamond empire with a past entangled in wartime profiteering and financial cover-ups. .
Globally, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t has proven its appeal beyond nostalgia. The film swiped the top spot on worldwide box office charts with $75.5 million in its opening stretch, including $54.2 million from 64 international territories.
China led the charge with $19.2 million, followed by notable performances in South Korea, France, and the U.K. With a production budget of $90 million, the film’s early numbers suggest the franchise still carries a magnetic pull.
For Nigerian audiences, its opening-week dominance reflects both the strength of the franchise and the enduring appeal of high-concept heist films that merge spectacle with social commentary.