Nollywood crime thriller, Black Market, has broken the Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location.
The film drew 51,000 viewers at its record-breaking screening held on Saturday, September 26, at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos.
Guinness World Records confirmed the feat after the screening, with the qualifying figure based on viewers who stayed from the beginning to the end of the film, according to Channels Television. Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, had earlier put total attendance at 64,000.
Organisers had targeted 50,000 simultaneous viewers to surpass the previous record of 43,624 set in 2015 during the screening of the Filipino film, Felix Manalo, at the Philippine Arena.
Gates opened at 2pm, followed by red carpet activities at 3pm and the main screening at 7pm. The event also featured music, food, games and other entertainment.
Long queues formed around TBS as fans trooped in, including Deputy Governor Hamzat, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, and Nollywood stars Lateef Adedimeji, Kunle Remi, Stan Nze, Linda Ejiofor, Gabriel Afolayan and Kunle Afolayan.
In a post on X early Sunday, Hamzat described the gathering as an inspiring demonstration of Nigerians coming together around creativity and a showcase of the potential of the country’s creative economy.
The film, directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and co-written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, follows five women involved in a cross-border smuggling operation whose lives unravel after the daughter of one of them is kidnapped.
It stars Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Itele D Icon and Uzor Arukwe. It was produced in collaboration with Rixel Studios, FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production.
Executive producer Omowunmi Dada said the team opted for a world record attempt instead of a conventional premiere to make a cultural statement for Lagos and Nigerian creatives.
The announcement of the record at TBS was met with cheers and fireworks, while distributor FilmOne also celebrated the achievement on social media.
