Black Market Premiere: Lagos Backs Nollywood as 51,000 Viewers Set Guinness World Record

Black Market Premiere: Lagos Backs Nollywood as 51,000 Viewers Set Guinness World Record

By Oluwole Oluwaseun Adeola

Nollywood’s crime thriller Black Market has set a Guinness World Record after more than 51,000 people gathered at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, for its historic premiere, with Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, representing Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu at the event.

The September 26 premiere, organised by Rixel Studios, was conceived as an ambitious attempt to break the record for the largest audience at a single-location film screening. Organisers had initially targeted 50,000 attendees, seeking to surpass the previous benchmark of 43,624 people set by the Filipino film Felix Manalo in 2015.

The record bid attracted thousands of movie lovers to TBS, with long queues forming after the gates opened at about 2pm. The red carpet commenced around 3pm, while the main screening began later in the evening.

At the event, Hamzat highlighted the importance of developing the infrastructure required to support Nigeria’s vast creative talent, noting that the country’s challenge is not a shortage of talent but the need to create an enabling environment where such talent can thrive.

According to him, Lagos State is committed to developing the infrastructure and partnerships necessary to strengthen the creative industry and expand its contribution to the state’s economy.

He also stressed the importance of developing Nigeria’s cultural and creative influence, alongside conventional physical infrastructure such as roads and hospitals.

Hamzat noted that the state’s strategy goes beyond entertainment to include the development of soft power and international partnerships. He referenced Lagos State’s engagement with California as part of efforts to learn from the ecosystem that helped establish Hollywood as a global creative hub.

He said the broader objective was to position Lagos and Nigeria’s creative sector for greater international recognition, with Nollywood playing a central role.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, also expressed satisfaction with the partnership between the state government and the organisers of the record-breaking premiere.

The state government had earlier pledged support for the event, with officials working with organisers on issues including traffic management, logistics and other operational requirements surrounding the large gathering.

The premiere was not only a celebration of the film but also a demonstration of the scale of Nigeria’s audience for locally produced content.

Producer Nora Awolowo had earlier called on 50,000 Nigerians to become part of the Black Market story, presenting the premiere as a collective experience and an opportunity to make history rather than merely another movie screening.

The film, directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, tells a crime-driven story centred on market women involved in a cross-border smuggling operation. Its cast includes Lateef Adedimeji, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Scarlet Gomez, Omowunmi Dada, Itele D Icon, Susan Pwajok, Teniola Aladese and Uzor Arukwe, among others.

While Hamzat announced that about 64,000 people attended the wider event, Guinness World Records recognised 51,000 viewers as the qualifying attendance, based on those who remained from the beginning to the end of the screening.

The confirmation triggered celebrations and fireworks at TBS, as organisers and attendees marked what was described as a significant milestone for Nollywood.

The achievement places Lagos at the centre of another major international creative-industry milestone and reinforces the state government's stated interest in using culture, entertainment and creative enterprise as components of its wider development strategy.

For the filmmakers, the record-setting premiere represents more than the launch of Black Market: it demonstrates the capacity of Nigerian cinema to mobilise a massive domestic audience around locally produced stories while creating an international moment for Nollywood.