Nollywood has made another milestone on the global stage, and this time, the audience itself became part of the story. On Saturday, September 26, more than 51,000 people gathered at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, to watch Fatimah Binta Gimsay’s crime thriller Black Market, in what has now been recognised as the Guinness World Records title for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location.

GUINESS WORLD RECORD HOLDERS 🎉💃🏽🎊
Largest audience to watch a film in the world
Thank you Lagos
THANK YOU NIGERIA#watchblackmarket pic.twitter.com/CwN8WILe7Q

— Omowunmi Dada 🚚🖤 (@dadaomowunmi) September 26, 2026

Guinness World Records confirmed the 51,000+ viewers as the qualifying attendance despite the total turnout of 64,000 people stated by Deputy Governor Hamzat. The Guinness World Record qualifying figure was based on people who remained from the beginning of the film to the end.

Still, the latest milestone surpassed the previous record of 43,624 people, set in 2015 when the Filipino film Felix Manalo was screened at the Philippine Arena. The Black Market team had initially targeted 50,000 simultaneous viewers at TBS, making the final figure more than 7,000 people above the previous benchmark.

first feature as a director
first world record attempt
first world record broken
thank you lagos, thank you Nigeria
Alhamdullilah 🤍🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/qbky6Gb9s9

— FBG 🚚 (@fatimahgimsay) September 26, 2026

Black Market is the second feature from producer Nora Awolowo’s Rixel Studios, following the studio’s 2025 debut, Red Circle. Directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, the film follows five women caught up in a cross-border smuggling operation, navigating the pressures of fuel scarcity, economic hardship and the dangerous business surrounding the illegal movement of goods.

Their situation takes a darker turn when the daughter of one of the women is kidnapped, pulling the characters into a conflict that transforms their already precarious circumstances.

The film brings together an ensemble cast including Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Ibrahim Yekini (Itele D Icon) and Uzor Arukwe, among others.

A new week. A grateful heart. ❤️

We had the biggest movie premiere in the world. 🌎

WE did it.
BLACK MARKET did it.
YOU did it.

Thank you, Nigeria 🇳🇬

What God did this weekend, only He could have done.#BlackMarketMovie #GWRHolder pic.twitter.com/mBIvXY3aSQ

— Omowunmi Dada 🚚🖤 (@dadaomowunmi) September 28, 2026

Omowunmi Dada also served as an executive producer on the project, while the filmmaking team includes Nora Awolowo, Nicole Ofoegbu, Susan Pwajok, Mike Afolarin and others.

The film’s screening was organised by Rixel Studios in collaboration with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production, with support from the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and other partners. Following its record-breaking TBS premiere, Black Market is now set for a nationwide theatrical release.