More than 51,000 people converged on Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos on Saturday night to watch the crime thriller Black Market, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest audience gathering for a movie screening.
A Guinness World Records official verified the attendance during the event, while FilmOne, the film’s distributor, posted a statement on social media confirming the achievement. “51,000+ people. One screen. One moment that just made history,” the distributor wrote, adding that Nigeria had “made history.”
Organisers had aimed for a 50,000‑strong audience, opening gates at 2 pm, followed by a red‑carpet session around 3 pm. The main screening ran from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, with long queues stretching toward the TBS roundabout as movie lovers streamed in hours before the show.
The event, supported by the Lagos State Government’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and several corporate partners, also featured music, food and games. Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat arrived at the venue at about 8:50 pm, and celebrities such as Gabriel Afolayan, Real Warri Pikin and Tomi Ojo were spotted in attendance.
Black Market was produced by Rixel Studios, Signet Ring Studios and FilmOne Studios, directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and produced by Nora Awolowo. It stars Omowunmi Dada, Lateef Adedimeji, Linda Ejiofor‑Suleiman, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Ibrahim Yekini (Itele D Icon) and Uzor Arukwe. The film follows five market women involved in a cross‑border smuggling operation amid fuel scarcity, whose lives unravel when one of their daughters is kidnapped.
With the record set, organisers are already looking ahead to future large‑scale screenings, hoping to keep Nigeria on the global cinema map. Fans and industry insiders alike will be watching to see how this milestone influences the next wave of Nigerian film productions.
