Elevated experiences celebrating the culture through dance and rhythm
Elevated experiences celebrating the culture through dance and rhythm
Lagos just proved once again why it’s the beating heart of African entertainment. On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Nollywood achieved what seemed impossible—gathering over 51,000 film lovers at Tafawa Balewa Square for the premiere of Black Market, officially breaking the Guinness World Record for the most-attended single-location film screening in history. The crime thriller didn’t just edge past the previous record holder, the 2015 Filipino film Felix Manalo which drew 43,624 viewers to the Philippine Arena—it absolutely demolished it.
The monumental outdoor screening transformed TBS into a sea of moviegoers, all gathered to witness history in the making. Among the massive crowd were Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Toke Benson, alongside the film’s star-studded ensemble including Lateef Adedimeji, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Scarlet Gomez, Omowunmi Dada, Uzor Arukwe, Ibrahim Yekini (Itele D Icon), Susan Pwajok, Teniola Aladese, Taye Arimoro, and Mike Afolarin. The film itself tells the gripping story of market women operating a cross-border fuel-smuggling ring whose lives spiral into chaos when a rival gang enters the picture. Ejiofor-Suleiman leads as Zimuzo, with Gomez playing Aramide and Dada as Adesua, supported by Tomiwa Tegbe, Andrew Yaw Bunting, Shamz Garuba, and Adeoluwa Akintoba.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Black Market marks the feature directorial debut of Fatimah Binta Gimsay, who co-wrote the screenplay with Abdul Tijani-Ahmed. Producer Nora Awolowo brought the project to life through Rixel Studios in collaboration with Signet Ring Studios, Switch Visuals Production, and FilmOne Studios. Following its record-breaking night, the film is now gearing up for nationwide theatrical release, carrying the weight of history and the momentum of a cultural moment that united tens of thousands under the Lagos sky.
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