Black Market, the Nollywood crime thriller, has entered the Guinness World Records,  GWR, for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location, with 51,000 people watching the movie in Lagos.

The film screening took place at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, drew thousands of movie lovers to the venue.

The British reference book confirmed the feat after the screening, officially recognising 51,000 viewers as the qualifying attendance for the record.

This was after Lagos deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, had announced that 64,000 people attended the event.

Hamzat, in a post on X in the early hours of Sunday, said he attended the screening and described the gathering as an inspiring demonstration of Nigerians coming together around creativity.

“I was at Tafawa Balewa Square this evening for the screening of Black Market, an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest audience at a film screening,” he wrote.

He said the turnout demonstrated the potential of Nigeria’s creative economy and called for continued support for young creators seeking to build businesses in the country.

The film was directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and co-written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed.

It follows five women involved in a cross-border smuggling operation whose lives are thrown into turmoil after the daughter of one of them is kidnapped.

The film stars Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Itele D Icon and Uzor Arukwe, among others.

It was produced in collaboration with Rixel Studios, FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production.

Speaking ahead of the screening, Dada, who is also an executive producer on the film, said the team deliberately chose the Guinness World Record attempt instead of a conventional premiere.

She said the idea was to create something “more iconic” that would go beyond Nollywood and serve as a cultural statement for Lagos, Nigerian creatives and young Nigerians.

Dada also described the production journey as stressful but rewarding, saying the record attempt had been part of the project’s plan from the outset.

The announcement of the record at TBS was met with cheers, celebrations and fireworks from the crowd.

FilmOne, the film’s distributor, also announced the achievement on social media, describing the event as a world record for the largest audience gathering for a movie screening.

The announcement drew loud cheers, celebrations and fireworks from the crowd.

Organisers had targeted 50,000 simultaneous viewers, aiming to surpass the previous record of 43,624 people, achieved by Iglesia Ni Cristo for their film ‘Felix Manalo’ at The Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria, Philippines, on 4th October, 2015.

The event was attended by the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson and Nollywood stars including Lateef Adedimeji, Kunle Remi, Stan Nze, Linda Ejiofor, Gabriel Afolayan and Kunle Afolayan.

The film is produced in collaboration with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production

Directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and co-written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, ‘Black Market’ follows five women involved in a cross-border smuggling operation whose lives are thrown into turmoil after the daughter of one of them is kidnapped.

The cast includes Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Itele D Icon and Uzor Arukwe.

Gimsay had disclosed in an interview that breaking the world record was the goal she and her team set for themselves.