Black Market Sets Guinness Record With 51K

LAGOS. Nollywood crime thriller Black Market has set a Guinness World Record for the largest audience at a film screening in a single location. The record came at a mass screening at Tafawa Balewa Square on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

The record numbers

Guinness confirmed 51,000 viewers as the qualifying figure, beating the 43,624 set in 2015 when the Filipino film Felix Manalo screened at the Philippine Arena. Organisers had aimed for 50,000.

Why the official number is lower

The official number is lower than the crowd on the night. Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat announced that 64,000 people attended, but Guinness counted only viewers who stayed from the start of the film to the end.

A festival-style event

The day was built like a festival. Gates opened at 2pm, the red carpet began around 3pm, and the main screening started at 7pm, with music, food and games filling the venue for hours beforehand. Long queues formed around the square as people arrived. General admission was ₦2,000, well below typical Lagos cinema prices.

The film and the team behind it

The film was directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and co-written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed. It was produced by Rixel Studios, Signet Ring Studios and FilmOne Studios, and distributed by FilmOne. The record attempt was a joint effort by Switch Visuals Productions and Rixel Studios.

Confirmation and celebration

FilmOne announced the result on social media, telling audiences they had not just watched a film but made history. A Guinness representative confirmed the feat on the night. The crowd responded with cheers and fireworks.

Nigeria’s record-setting history

Nigeria has collected other Guinness titles before. Dangote Flour Mills set one in 2018 for the largest puff-puff pyramid. This is a different kind of first, since it treats a film release as a public event rather than a run in cinemas.