MMFF 2023 is now highest-grossing edition of all time
The 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is officially the highest-grossing edition of all time, having surpassed the box-office earnings of the 2018 edition at P1.069 billion as of Jan. 7.
Back in 2018, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) led festival earned a total of P1.061 billion. Based on projections, the ongoing MMFF is expected to earn P1.2 billion by the end of its one-week extension on Jan. 14.
This was disclosed by MMDA acting chairman and concurrent MMFF execom chairman, lawyer Don Artes, during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the New MMDA Building, Doña Julia Vargas Ave. in Pasig City.
Artes said, “This is despite the fact that in 2018, almost 1,200 cinemas were open. This year, we only had 800 cinemas. Many are still closed.”
He said that they were surprised by the turnout because their initial projection was P700 million “because we hit P500 million in 2022.”
While they expected to meet their target due to the impressive roster of entries and the big-name stars involved, Artes said they couldn’t initially tell which one was going to be the sure blockbuster or top grosser unlike in previous filmfests.
This year, Artes said, they felt it was everybody’s ball game, adding, “Although (we knew) that many or almost all had the potential to become a blockbuster.
He continued, “In fact, a great majority of them (made) eight digits … (in terms of) ticket sales. But we didn’t expect that it would reach this point where we’d break the record of 2018.”
Weighing in on the confluence of factors that brought about the box-office results of this year’s MMFF, Artes said, “Perhaps we can say that the success of the 2023 MMFF is due to the quality of the films we offered. Even though there were 10 films, compared to the previous eight, the films were truly good, well-made.”
Other factors, he noted, were the well-executed promotional activities for the movies.
He said that the hype leading up to the opening day, Dec. 25, the active participation of actors, including major stars engaging in mall tours and ticket selling, as well the motorcades even outside Metro Manila, all contributed to the success of the current festival.
“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.”
Noel Ferrer, MMFF spokesperson, also shared his observations that the 2023 edition proved that “content is king and story is priority,” with star power secondary.
“Pre-pandemic, the MMFF highest grossers are usually topbilled by A-list stars doing projects that would appeal to the broadest audiences,” he said.
“Now, it is a bit more nuanced. Content is of primary importance. Story is king. They drive the audience to the cinemas and back; not just the stars and popular celebrities,” he said, citing the 2023 MMFF Best Picture Firefly and Second Best Picture GomBurZa, which are not as star-studded as the other entries.
Ferrer also noted that audience behavior has slightly changed. He said that traditionally, Christmas Day is the highest grossing box-office day but for the 2023 MMFF, “Jan. 2 earnings surpassed that of Christmas day. And towards the end of the festival run, people just trooped to the cinemas in hordes to have a last chance to catch their favorite films after getting a lot of feedback and reviews.”
“Unlike before, people just don’t throw away their hard-earned money. They are willing to wait a while to make sure the films they’ll watch are really worth the price,” he added.
Artes has, likewise, observed that if “before the majority of viewers were from the CDE market, now, we’ve almost covered the A, B, and C markets.”
“In fact, it seems that there are more viewers from the A, B, and C segments because, based on comments, we’ve seen many people watching two, three, or even more films. Some even repeated watching if they liked the film. They watched it twice,” he added.
He hopes that the cinema attendance would be sustained not just for the entire duration of the MMFF, but also throughout the year.
“We hope our production companies can continue offering high-quality films,” he said. “We also encourage producers to produce even better films for the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival, which is our 50th edition.”
Due to plans to focus on activities lined up for the MMFF’s 50th edition, Artes announced that they have canceled the Summer Metro Manila Film Festival 2024.
However, they’ve talked to the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), headed by chairman Tirso Cruz III, to possibly hold a Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino to sustain the momentum. The MMFF, Artes said, will offer assistance should FDCP conduct the filmfest.
As for other plans to replicate if not exceed the MMFF 2023’s achievements, he said, “We will continue to open the discussion on the (lowering of the) ticket price. We discussed it this year, but there were business considerations and decisions on their (CEAP) part,” referring to Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines.
“Pero nag-usap din kami ni Chair Tirso regarding pag-pu-push po ng mga moratorium on taxes and incentives, like this year, FDCP gave P500,000 for the promo (efforts) for every film. I think that also helped a lot.”
All 10 entries will be screened next at the inaugural Manila International Film Festival (MIFF), from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, in Los Angeles, California.
- Latest
- Trending
