At the height of the pandemic in 2020, GAMEBOYS, considered to be the Philippines first hit “Boys Love” series, premiered on YouTube, and proved so successful that by 2021, it was picked up by Netflix globally, aired on Philippine Television on GMA’s Heart of Asia channel and spawned “GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE” which is now showing on digital cinema platforms KTX and Ticket2Me.
Produced by The IdeaFirst Company and Octobertrain Films, GAMEBOYS reaches a new milestone because “GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE” and the forthcoming “GAMEBOYS SEASON 2” are now international co-productions with Japan-based companies 108JAPAN Co., Ltd, Aeon Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Hakuhodo DY music & pictures Inc.
108 JAPAN will be leading International Sales and Distribution outside the Philippines. Co-producers Aeon Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Hakuhodo DY music & pictures Inc. will lead Theatrical Distribution and Digital & Home Entertainment Distribution in Japan, respectively.
“Gameboys started small but then went on to climb higher and higher, first winning fans here and abroad, then with sponsors, distribution platforms, and now as a co-production with our partners in Japan,” says producer Perci Intalan. “With 108JAPAN Co., Ltd., Aeon Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Hakuhodo DY music & pictures Inc., GAMEBOYS gets to reach a wider audience with the release of the movie and the series in Japan and their expertise in international distribution.”
Managing Director of 108 JAPAN, Ryo Ebe, says “Japan is a huge market for ‘Boys Love’ content and we will do our best to meet the expectations of the fans. IdeaFirst has produced a beautiful story and we are grateful to be working with their company, along with our partners Aeon Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Hakuhodo DY music & pictures Inc. We will continue to find more Gameboys fans around the world in a variety of ways.”
Starring Kokoy de Santos and Elijah Canlas, GAMEBOYS SEASON 1 follows the love story of Gavreel and Cairo who met online during the lockdown and slowly built a relationship even before they could physically meet each other. In GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE and GAMEBOYS SEASON 2, the two boys are finally together in one house but still there are external forces pulling them apart. Under the creative direction of Jun Robles Lana and direction of Ivan Andrew Payawal, GAMEBOYS won numerous awards around the world and built a global following with nearly 25% of its fan base residing outside of the Philippines – particularly in the USA, Latin America, and Europe.
GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE opened on digital cinema on July 30, but tickets were getting sold out as early as July 1. KTX has touted it as its biggest opening so far and Ticket2Me reported that it is their fastest-selling title. GAMEBOYS SEASON 2 already completed production but its release date has yet to be announced.
