As customary with the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), official rankings for the first-day box office earnings of the ten official entries on December 25 are yet to be released by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
However, early reports suggest that ‘Rewind,’ starring Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, had a strong opening day.
Anticipated due to the film’s wide release in 137 cinemas nationwide, surpassing other concurrent releases, ‘Rewind’ demonstrated its drawing power. The film’s cinema count even increased to 147 on the second day, reaffirming its popularity.
Comparatively, some competing films experienced a reduction in the number of open cinemas. For instance, ‘Family of Two’ dropped from 121 to 101, ‘Kampon’ decreased from an initial 100 to 76, ‘Becky and Badette’ went from 52 to 46, while ‘Broken Hearts Trip’ declined from 32 to 19.
No. of cinemas, as of 12:00 noon today:#Rewind: 137#FamilyofTwo: 121#Penduko: 102#Kampon: 100#Mallari: 96#WhenIMetYouinTokyo: 90#BeckyAndBadette: 52#Firefly: 42#Gomburza: 39#BrokenHeartsTrip: 32
Based on official list published by distributors. #MMFF2023
— Je (@ImNotthatScary) December 25, 2023
Among the entries, ‘Penduko’ and ‘When I Met You In Tokyo’ saw a slight increase in the number of open cinemas, going from 102 to 103 and 90 to 91, respectively. ‘Mallari’ rose from 96 to 104, and ‘Firefly’ increased from 42 to 46. Notably, ‘GomBurZa’ went from 39 to 41.
No. of cinemas as of 8PM 12/26, based on official lists published by distributors#Rewind: 147#Mallari: 104#Penduko: 103#FamilyOfTwo: 101 *#WhenIMetYouInTokyo: 91 *#Kampon: 76 *#Firefly: 46#BeckyAndBadette: 46 *#Gomburza: 41#BrokenHeartsTrip: 19
* based on clickthecity
— Je (@ImNotthatScary) December 26, 2023
In contrast, ‘Kampon,’ headlined by Beauty Gonzalez and Derek Ramsay, witnessed a substantial decrease. Despite the usual strength of horror films in MMFF seasons, ‘Kampon’ seems to be an exception due to its weak promotional efforts, minimal media coverage, and mediocre reviews.
As the MMFF 2023 progresses, the competition among films will intensify, with many more days for movies to capture the audience’s attention. The awarding ceremony will play a significant role in determining which films will continue to garner attention and patronage from moviegoers.
