Feature film Red Circle has hit the N100 million mark at the Nigerian box office, just three weeks after its theatrical release.
The movie has now done a total of N101.8 million
The political thriller, directed by Akay Mason and co-written by Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, opened on June 7 and had grossed N93.8 million as of June 27, according to data from the Nigerian box office.
By the end of its third weekend, the film officially pushed past the N100 million benchmark, placing it among the top-grossing Nollywood titles of the year.
Produced by Awolowo and Tijani Ahmed under the Rixel Studios banner, Red Circle marks Awolowo’s first foray into feature-length cinema production. Known primarily as a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker, Awolowo’s transition to commercial cinema has been met with critical and financial success, cementing her place as one of Nollywood’s promising new voices.
The film debuted with an opening weekend gross of N33.8 million, a strong showing for a debut producer. It went on to earn N74.5 million in its first two weeks and remained one of the most-watched films in Nigerian cinemas between June 13 and June 19.
Red Circle stars Folu Storms in the lead role as Fikayo Holloway, a tenacious investigative journalist whose pursuit of a high-level corruption ring in Lagos leads her into a perilous entanglement with a powerful crime syndicate. Her search for truth uncovers layers of manipulation, money laundering, and murder, placing her and her loved ones in escalating danger.
The film’s supporting cast includes a robust lineup of Nollywood talent: Bukky Wright, Timini Egbuson, Tobi Bakre, Lateef Adedimeji, Femi Branch, Omowunmi Dada, Mike Afolarin, Debo Adebayo (popularly known as Mr. Macaroni), and rapper-turned-actor Ruggedman.
Its commercial success suggests a growing audience appetite for socially conscious thrillers that merge entertainment with commentary.
Awolowo, 26, is no stranger to storytelling. A self-taught director and graduate of Ekiti State University, where she studied accounting, she rose to prominence through her documentary and commercial work, including Life at the Bay, which was selected for the Africa International Film Festival in 2019. She has since directed multiple short films and commercials for major Nigerian brands and was nominated for the Future Awards Africa Prize for Film in 2022.
In recent years, she has managed campaigns for international brands such as Zalando and collaborated with creatives linked to HBO’s Insecure. But Red Circle represents her most ambitious project yet, and now, her most successful.
As Red Circle continues its theatrical run, its box office performance not only reflects Awolowo’s growing influence in the Nigerian film industry but also signals a maturing audience ready to support women-led, high-stakes cinema.