Nollywood crime thriller Black Market has broken the Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location after more than 51,000 people watched the movie at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos.
The record-breaking screening took place on Saturday as thousands of movie lovers gathered at TBS for the premiere.
Guinness World Records confirmed the record after the screening and recognised 51,000 viewers as the qualifying attendance.
Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat said 64,000 people attended the event. However, Guinness World Records based its official figure on viewers who stayed from the beginning to the end of the movie.
The announcement sparked cheers, celebrations and fireworks at the venue.
The organisers had targeted at least 50,000 viewers to break the previous record of 43,624 people. A screening of the Filipino film Felix Manalo at the Philippine Arena in 2015 set the previous record.
Thousands of people arrived at TBS hours before the screening, creating long queues around the venue.
Organisers opened the gates at 2pm, while the red carpet began around 3pm. They scheduled the main screening for 7pm.
The event also featured music, food, games and other entertainment activities.
Hamzat attended the event alongside Lagos State 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.
Fatimah Binta Gimsay directed Black Market, while Gimsay and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed co-wrote the film.
The movie follows five women involved in a cross-border smuggling operation. Their lives take a dramatic turn after someone kidnaps the daughter of one of the women.
Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Itele D Icon and Uzor Arukwe star in the film.
Rixel Studios organised the screening in collaboration with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios and Switch Visuals Production.
The organisers designed the event as an official Guinness World Records attempt to surpass the 43,624-attendance benchmark set more than a decade ago.
