Nollywood’s Black Market Sets Guinness Record With 51,000 Viewers in Lagos
KEHINDE ADELEYE
Lagos made history on Saturday as more than 51,000 movie lovers gathered at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) to watch Nollywood crime thriller Black Market, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location.
Guinness World Records confirmed 51,000 viewers as the qualifying attendance after the screening, with the figure based on spectators who remained from the beginning of the movie to the end.
The feat turned TBS into a massive open air cinema as thousands of Lagos residents and visitors converged on the iconic venue for the highly anticipated screening.
Although Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat announced that about 64,000 people attended the event, Guinness World Records used 51,000 as the official qualifying figure for the record.
The announcement triggered loud cheers, celebrations and fireworks at TBS as the crowd celebrated the new record.
The organisers had targeted 50,000 simultaneous viewers, seeking to surpass the previous record of 43,624 people who watched the Filipino film Felix Manalo at the Philippine Arena in 2015.
TBS Becomes Lagos Cinema Hub
Long queues formed around TBS earlier in the day as movie lovers arrived for the record attempt.
The gates opened at about 2pm, with the red carpet beginning around 3pm before the main screening later in the evening. The event also featured music, food, games and other entertainment activities.
The massive turnout further transformed the Lagos landmark into a gathering point for Nollywood fans, content creators, celebrities and other entertainment stakeholders.
Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat attended the event alongside Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Toke Benson and several Nollywood stars, including Lateef Adedimeji, Kunle Remi, Stan Nze, Linda Ejiofor, Gabriel Afolayan and Kunle Afolayan.
Black Market was directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and co-written by Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed.
The crime thriller follows five women caught up in a cross-border smuggling operation whose lives take a dramatic turn after the daughter of one of them is kidnapped.
The film features Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Ibrahim Yekini, popularly known as Itele D Icon, and Uzor Arukwe, among others.
The screening was organised by Rixel Studios in collaboration with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production.
With the 51,000 qualifying viewers officially recognised, the Lagos screening has given Nollywood another major entry in the Guinness World Records books and turned TBS into the scene of a record breaking night for Nigerian cinema.
