Fresh from the success of the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has recently declared the omission of this year’s Summer MMFF.
MMDA Chairman Atty. Romando Artes, addressing the media in a Jan. 9 press conference, shared updates on the latest MMFF and outlined the MMDA’s plans to focus on celebrating the golden anniversary of the nation’s most beloved film event this year.
As of Jan. 7, the 10 films competing in the 2023 MMFF collectively amassed P1.069 billion, surpassing the P1.061 billion record set by the 2018 edition. Despite opening in only 800 theaters due to COVID-19 closures, compared to the 1,200 screens in 2018.
“In this year’s MMFF, our target was 700 million pesos. However, with the festival extended until Jan. 14, we expect to reach 1.2 billion by the end of this week,” remarked Artes.
While anticipating to meet their target due to the impressive entries and star-studded cast, Artes mentioned the unpredictability of identifying a sure blockbuster, unlike in previous film festivals. He did not even provide a list of the box office leaders in this year’s edition.
Artes explained, “The last two days of the festival were like the beginning. There’s a shift now. People waited and relied on word of mouth to decide which film to watch. It was everyone’s ball game. Although we knew almost all had the potential to become a blockbuster.”
He continued, “In fact, a great majority of them made eight digits in ticket sales. But we didn’t expect to break the 2018 record.”
Reflecting on the factors contributing to the box-office success of the 2023 MMFF, Artes credited the quality of the films offered, even with the increase from eight to ten films. He also highlighted well-executed promotional activities, active participation of actors in mall tours and ticket selling, and motorcades outside Metro Manila as key contributors to the festival’s triumph.
“Lastly, the discussions and discourse, not only the competition between fans but also discussions about the merits of each film, we think had encouraged others to support the 2023 MMFF,” Artes said.
Meanwhile, according to our source, Rewind, starring Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, has surpassed the 700-million-peso mark in gross receipts, breaking the domestic record set by Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo’s Hello, Love, Goodbye.
