«Black Market» breaks Guinness World Record: over 51,000 spectators at a single screening in Lagos

LAGOS — Nollywood made world cinema history this weekend: the thriller «Black Market» broke the Guinness record for the largest number of spectators at a single film screening, with over 51,000 people attending the premiere at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, as Standard Times reports.

The record screening took place on Saturday (September 26) at the iconic Lagos square, where thousands of film fans gathered for the film’s debut. The record was confirmed on site by a Guinness World Records official: the qualifying figure — over 51,000 spectators — counted only those who stayed from the start to the end of the film. Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat had announced around 64,000 attendees, but Guinness counted only the audience that met the full attendance criterion.

The previous record — 43,624 spectators — was set in 2015 by the Filipino film «Felix Manalo», screened at the Philippine Arena. The Nigerian organizers had initially targeted 50,000 simultaneous spectators, a goal that was comfortably exceeded.

The TBS gates opened around 14:00, the red carpet began around 15:00, and the main screening took place at 19:00. The evening was accompanied by music, food and games, and the event was attended by Deputy Governor Hamzat as well as Nollywood stars, including Lateef Adedimeji, Kunle Remi, Linda Ejiofor and Gabriel Afolayan, according to TNT News Online.

The announcement by the Guinness official was met with cheers, celebrations and fireworks from the large crowd in the square.

«Black Market», directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay (screenplay by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed), is a crime thriller following five women involved in cross-border smuggling whose lives are turned upside down when one of their daughters is kidnapped. The film was produced by Rixel Studios, Signet Ring Studios and FilmOne Studios, and is distributed by FilmOne; the record premiere was organized with the support of the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, according to Standard Times.