Lagos screening draws more than 51,000 for reported Guinness record

More than 51,000 people gathered at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos for a screening of the crime thriller Black Market, in an event organisers said set a Guinness World Record for the largest audience at a movie screening. The achievement was announced on the screen at the event on Saturday night, with a Guinness World Records official confirming that more than 51,000 people had attended, according to the supplied report. FilmOne, the film’s distributor, also announced the result on social media.

It said the gathering had officially established a world record and described the event as a historic moment for Nigeria. The screening had initially been organised as an attempt to reach the record, with organisers setting a target of 50,000 people at one location. The gates opened at 2pm, followed by a red-carpet session at about 3pm.

The main screening was scheduled for between 7pm and 8.30pm. The venue was reported to have been heavily crowded, with long queues extending towards the TBS roundabout as attendees arrived. The programme also featured music, food and games, while celebrities and other personalities attended.

Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat arrived at about 8.50pm. Black Market was produced by Rixel Studios, Signet Ring Studios and FilmOne Studios, and distributed by FilmOne. Fatimah Binta Gimsay directed the film, while Nora Awolowo produced it.

The cast includes Omowunmi Dada, Lateef Adedimeji, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Ibrahim Yekini and Uzor Arukwe. The film follows five market women involved in cross-border smuggling amid fuel scarcity and economic pressure, before the kidnapping of one woman’s daughter changes the course of the story. The event was supported by the Lagos State Government through its Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, alongside corporate partners.