In a matter of three months, we will be treated (or should we say forced to watch) to locally-produced movies. Thanks but no thanks to the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. But before we move forward, let’s take a quick look on the movies that justified the phrase return of investment.
The romantic drama Miss You Like Crazy, topbilled by John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, is this year’s box office winner followed by runner-up Here Comes the Bride starring Eugene Domingo and Angelica Panganiban. The third honor goes to a film co-produced by GMA Films and Regal Films and stars reel and real life couple, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes. The film titled You to Me Are Everything earned P102.42 M. Former flame Sam Milby and Anne Curtis reunion movie Babe, I Love You lands at no. four and it’s followed by Kimerald’s Paano Na Kaya.
Out of the top five is Hating Kapatid of Sarah Geronimo and Judy Ann Santos. The film produced by Viva came short with P81.97 M earning. Meanwhile, Richard Gutierrez, Anne Curtis, and Claudine Barretto starrer In Your Eyes is far at no. seven. Its cumulative earning during its five-week run in the movie houses is P62.59 M, which is still a far cry to its publicized P70 M first week gross.
Five-episode film Cinco gave Star Cinema another P61 M earning. Th psychological horror flick ranks no. eight this year. Secured in the ninth position is Sa ‘Yo Lamang (eventhough it’s still being screened) while Gabby Concepcion’s comeback film that also stars daughter KC and Jericho Rosales, experienced a lukewarm reception with P42.2 M ticket sales.
While most films mentioned scored double-digit revenue, big budget Emir (a joint venture of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Film Development Council of the Philippines with Viva Films) appears to be the biggest loser on the tills this year. The Philippines’ first full-length movie musical earned roughly 10 percent of its production budget of P30 M. It’s disappointing P3.1 M gross was not enough for the talent fee of all the actors that were flown to Morocco where majority of the scenes were shot.
Other films that did not make the top 10 list of the highest earning local films this year are: Working Girls, P32.32 million (GMA Films and Viva Films co-production); Regal Films Mamarazzi, P21.27 million (the film is still showing and currently on its 5th week); and Noy the Movie, P9.94 M (CineMedia and Star Cinema co-production).
Although a certified flop, Noy takes the shot of breaking the bane of Judy Ann’s Ploning and the independently-released Dead na si Lolo, which both failed to be shortlisted in Oscar’s Best Foreign Language Film category.
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