MANILA, Philippines – The 2023 edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has now earned around P1.069 billion, making it the highest grossing year in the annual festival’s history. 

According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Tuesday, January 9, the figures were based on the combined gross sales of the 10 entries since the festival’s opening on December 25, 2023 until January 7, 2024. 

The 10 participating films are A Mother and Son’s Story, (K)Ampon, Penduko, Rewind, Becky and Badette, Broken Hearts Trip, Firefly, GomBurZa, Mallari, and When I Met You in Tokyo.

With this, the 2023 edition has now surpassed the P1.061 billion in sales of MMFF 2018. 

Notably, the sales for MMFF 2023 are expected to go higher as the theatrical run has earlier been extended until January 14. It was only supposed to run until January 7.  

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The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which opened on December 25, 2023, reported…

— Official MMDA (@MMDA) January 9, 2024

MMDA acting Chairman and MMFF Overall Concurrent Chairman Don Artes also noted that the feat was achieved despite the 10 entries being shown only in 800 cinemas across the Philippines as opposed to the 1,200 cinemas opened back in 2018. 

Organizers said that the quality of this year’s film entries and a new audience attributed to the success of the 2023 edition. 

“We received reports that moviegoers watched multiple films while others watched films repeatedly. Hopefully, we can sustain this beyond the festival so that our film producers can offer quality movies all year round,” Artes said. 

Next plans after MMFF 2023

After the run of MMFF 2023, all 10 entries will also be shown at the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) which will take place in Los Angeles, California, USA from January 29 to February 2. 

Winston Emano, MIFF Consultant and Spokesperson, said that they aim to “continue the wonderful momentum that was built up by MMFF.”

In MIFF, several gatherings and dialogues with Filipino celebrities, filmmakers, and scriptwriters, and their American counterparts, will take place. 

The entries will also be assessed by a different set of judges and a separate awards night will take place. It was also noted that the winners of MIFF might be different from the winners for the MMFF 2023 Gabi ng Parangal, wherein GomBurZa garnered the highest number of accolades.

Meanwhile, the organizers of MMFF are also gearing up for the annual festival’s 50th edition.  

“We also encourage filmmakers to create better films for the MMFF’s 50th edition,” Artes said. 

Several activities and projects leading to the 50th MMFF are also in order, including a student short film caravan, short film festival, a coffee-table book, and Cine 50.

According to the MMDA, Cine 50 is a program where the top 50 MMFF films for the last 49 years will be screened in selected theaters for only P50.

“We are expecting to feature bigger and better films for our 50th edition as we celebrate the cinema-goers return to theaters and patronize local movies,”Artes said. – Rappler.com