Charlize Theron leverages blockbuster success to raise over $1 million for African anti-femicide fund
Charlize Theron used the record-breaking box office of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” to host a Universal backlot block party that raised more than $1 million for her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” became Universal Pictures’ highest-grossing release, reaching $1.68 billion, and Oscar-winner Charlize Theron turned the achievement into a fundraising opportunity. She hosted the sixth annual CTAOP block party on the Universal backlot, featuring guests such as January Jones, Nick Kroll, and NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Donna Langley. The celebration raised more than $1 million for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program, which has supported over 80 organizations, reached 4.8 million youth, and awarded $16.5 million to grassroots groups.
Theron emphasized the program’s upcoming 20th anniversary and warned that femicide in South Africa, exemplified by bodies found in East Rand dumps, remains a critical crisis. She urged greater American engagement in foreign aid to address gender-based violence, noting that less than 1 % of U.S. budgets go to such efforts.
Why it matters
Shows how high-profile entertainment events can mobilize significant funds for combating gender-based violence in Africa.
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