Nollywood has officially entered the record books. On Saturday, September 26, 2026, the Nigerian movie “Black Market” set a new Guinness World Record for the largest audience gathering for a movie screening, with the historic event unfolding at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos. The achievement marks a significant milestone not only for the film itself but for the Nigerian creative industry as a whole, showcasing the country’s growing capacity to stage large-scale cultural events on a global stage.
More than 51,000 people watched the movie at TBS that evening, and Guinness World Records confirmed the feat immediately after the screening, officially recognizing 51,000 viewers as the qualifying attendance for the record. Interestingly, Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat was present at the event as well as a lot of celebrities and influencers from all across the country.
The record was achieved by the makers and audience of Black Market, a Nollywood thriller directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay in her feature directorial debut. The film was co-written by Gimsay alongside Abdul Tijani-Ahmed and produced by Nora Awolowo and Nicole Ofoegbu through Rixel Studios, in collaboration with Signet Ring Studios, Switch Visuals Production, and FilmOne Studios. The specific Guinness category broken was for the largest single-location audience for a film screening, a record that recognizes the sheer scale of a shared cinematic experience rather than box office performance or critical acclaim.
Before this achievement, the record had stood since 2015, when it was held by the Filipino biographical film Felix Manalo, which drew over 43,000 attendees during a screening at the Philippine Arena. That benchmark stood unchallenged for over a decade, making Black Market’s accomplishment all the more remarkable. With 51,000 qualifying viewers, the Lagos screening surpassed the previous record by roughly 7,000 people, representing an increase of about 17 percent.
Ultimately, this achievement does more than add a new entry to the Guinness World Records archive. It places Nollywood and Lagos firmly on the map for large-scale entertainment milestones, following in the footsteps of other notable Nigerian record-breakers such as celebrity chef Hilda Baci. More importantly, it signals the growing ambition, organizational sophistication, and cultural confidence within Nigeria’s creative industry — proof that Nollywood is not only a prolific film industry but one capable of orchestrating events of genuine global significance.
Image credit: nollywire.com and punchng.com
