Nollywood crime thriller Black Market has secured a Guinness World Records-recognised film screening record after 51,000 qualifying spectators watched the movie from start to finish at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos.
The large-scale screening took place on Saturday, drawing tens of thousands of moviegoers to the Lagos landmark as organisers attempted to break the previous record of 43,624 spectators set in 2015 by the Filipino film Felix Manalo at the Philippine Arena.
Brandspur Brand News reports that although Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat put the overall attendance at 64,000, Guinness World Records based its certification on the number of people who remained throughout the complete screening, resulting in 51,000 qualifying viewers.
The achievement was met with celebrations at TBS, where spectators and organisers marked the confirmation with fireworks and widespread excitement. The scale of the gathering had become apparent hours before the film began, with large crowds and long queues forming around the venue.
The organisers had targeted an attendance of at least 50,000 people at the same time, setting the event up as an official attempt to surpass the decade-old record.
Proceedings began with the opening of the gates at 2pm, followed by a red-carpet reception at about 3pm. The main screening was scheduled for 7pm, while music performances, games, refreshments and other activities kept attendees occupied ahead of the film.
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The event attracted government officials, entertainment figures and a sizeable contingent of Nollywood practitioners. Among those present were Hamzat, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Toke Benson, and actors including Lateef Adedimeji, Kunle Remi, Stan Nze, Linda Ejiofor, Gabriel Afolayan and Kunle Afolayan.
Directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay, Black Market was co-written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed. The crime thriller follows five women caught up in an international smuggling network whose lives are thrown into turmoil after the daughter of one of them is kidnapped.
The film features Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Itele D Icon and Uzor Arukwe, among others.
Rixel Studios led the screening in partnership with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production.
The 51,000 certified spectators now give Black Market a place in the record books and demonstrate the capacity of a Nigerian film production to mobilise an unusually large audience for a single-location cinema experience.
