MMFF 2023 breaks 2022 box-office record, gears up for US edition

MANILA, Philippines — The 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has officially surpassed the box-office performance of the 2022 edition, matching the last filmfest’s P500 million earnings in the first week alone.

MMFF spokesperson Noel Ferrer confirmed this on Wednesday, telling The STAR in a text message: “It exceeded last year’s (2022) P500 million earnings (for the entire run)... We reached the last (edition’s) earnings on the seventh day of this year’s festival.”

As of Tuesday night, Jan. 2, the box-office sales already crossed the P700 million mark, according to Ferrer.

“Magandang senyales ito na handa namang bumalik sinehan ang mga kababayan natin para sa mga pelikulang gusto nilang panoorin,” he mentioned.

(This is a good sign that our kababayans are ready to return to the cinemas for the films they want to watch.)

Apart from acknowledging the joint efforts of the “cinema and Filipino audience partners,” namely, the MMFF executive committee, the organizer Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP), Ferrer also commended the productions and artists who went out of their way to promote their films and interact with the audiences and fans waiting for their return to the big screen.

“Gusto rin nating papurihan ang mga produksyon at mga artista who went out of their way para i-promote ang kani-kanilang pelikula at makasalamuha ang mga tagapanood nila na matagal silang kinasabikan,” he said.

“Sana talaga simula na ito — at magtuluy-tuloy pa ang sigla ng industriya ng pelikulang Filipino kahit matapos na ang MMFF sa Jan. 7.”

(Hoping that this is truly the beginning, and that the vibrancy of the Filipino film industry continues even after MMFF concludes on Jan. 7.)

While there’s no official confirmation from MMFF execom yet, there are already expectations of an extension of the filmfest’s theatrical run.

The 10 official entries this year include the comedies Broken Hearts Trip (Christian Bables) and Becky and Badette (Eugene Domingo and Pokwang); romance dramas When I Met You In Tokyo (Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon) and Rewind (Dingdong Dantes); the family drama Family of Two; horror films Mallari and Kampon; the period piece GomBurZa; action-fantasy Penduko, and the fantasy-adventure Firefly, which recently won Best Picture at the MMFF Gabi ng Parangal or awards night.

Post-MMFF, these entries are set to be showcased at the Hollywood edition, which is the inaugural Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2. The MIFF will take place at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood and the Directors Guild of America on Sunset Boulevard, where film stars and filmmakers are expected to grace the festival. More details are available on the official website at www.manilainternationalfilmfest.com.