Nollywood's 'Black Market' Breaks Attendance Record in Lagos

Nollywood made history on Saturday at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos by setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location. The event saw 51,000 qualifying viewers present for the screening of the crime thriller 'Black Market.' Moviegoers began arriving as early as 2 pm, with the screening starting at approximately 7 pm.

This turnout surpassed the previous record of 43,624 viewers, which was set in 2015 at the Philippine Arena during a screening by Iglesia Ni Cristo. Although Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat announced an attendance figure of 64,000, Guinness World Records clarified that only those who stayed for the entire film were counted, resulting in the official figure of 51,000.

The film, directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay, revolves around five women involved in cross-border smuggling whose lives change dramatically after one of their daughters is kidnapped. It was produced in collaboration with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios, and Switch Visuals Production, featuring stars such as Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, and Susan Pwajok.