Nollywood has made history after the movie Black Market attracted 51,258 people to its premiere at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening.
The record was achieved on September 26, 2026, during the premiere of the Nollywood crime thriller. Guinness World Records officially lists the qualifying attendance as 51,258 people, who watched the screening from start to finish.
Black Market Sets New Guinness World Record
The Black Market Guinness World Record was achieved after thousands of movie lovers gathered at Tafawa Balewa Square for the highly anticipated premiere.
According to Guinness World Records, the 51,258 attendees broke the previous record for the largest attendance at a film screening. The organisation lists Rixel Studios, Nora Awolowo, Switch Visual Limited and Damilola Osikoya among those credited with the achievement.
The record-setting figure was higher than the 50,000-person target announced by the filmmakers before the event.
Over 51,000 People Watched the Movie
The huge crowd began arriving at TBS hours before the main screening.
The event included a red-carpet session, entertainment activities, food, games and appearances by celebrities and public figures before the movie was shown.
Channels Television reported that long queues formed around Tafawa Balewa Square as movie lovers arrived for the screening.
While a larger overall attendance figure was mentioned during the event, Guinness World Records used 51,258 people as the qualifying number based on those who remained throughout the screening.
What Is Black Market About?
Black Market is a Nollywood crime thriller centred on five women involved in a cross-border smuggling operation.
The story takes a darker turn after the daughter of one of the women is kidnapped, putting the characters in a dangerous situation.
The film was directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and features actors including Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Ibrahim Yekini and Uzor Arukwe.
Who Produced Black Market?
The record-breaking movie was produced through a collaboration involving Rixel Studios, Signet Ring Studios and FilmOne Studios.
FilmOne Entertainment served as the distributor, while Switch Visuals Production was involved in organising the large-scale screening.
The production brought together several Nigerian filmmakers and actors for an ambitious project that eventually attracted international attention through the Guinness World Records achievement.
Black Market Beats Previous Record
Before the Lagos screening, the Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening stood at 43,624 people.
That record was set in 2015 during a screening of the Filipino film Felix Manalo at the Philippine Arena.
The Black Market screening surpassed that figure by thousands of attendees. Guinness World Records says the new record of 51,258 people broke the previous mark by almost 8,000 viewers.
Nollywood Makes Global Headlines
The Black Market Guinness World Record has given Nollywood another major international spotlight.
The achievement also follows a growing number of Nigerians attempting Guinness World Records in different fields.
The Associated Press reported that more than 5,000 Nigerians applied for Guinness World Records between 2022 and September 2026, highlighting the popularity of record attempts in the country.
The Black Market achievement, however, stands out because it involved a major film production and more than 51,000 people attending the same screening.
What Happens Next for Black Market?
Following the record-breaking Lagos premiere, attention will now turn to the film’s wider theatrical release.
The filmmakers have already achieved a major milestone with the Guinness World Record, while the movie itself is expected to reach a wider audience beyond the historic screening.
For Nollywood, the achievement represents another example of how Nigerian filmmakers are finding new ways to generate attention around local productions.
With 51,258 people officially recognised by Guinness World Records, Black Market now holds a place in the record books for the largest attendance at a film screening.