Based on unofficial figures from industry sources, the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) opened with a commanding box-office lead from ‘Call Me Mother’, starring Vice Ganda and Nadine Lustre.
According to PEP.ph, ‘Call Me Mother’ earned close to ₱50 million on December 25, setting the best opening-day record for a local film in 2025. The strong debut did not come as a surprise to industry watchers, given the consistent MMFF box-office performance of both Vice Ganda and Nadine Lustre in previous years. Early audience feedback has also been positive, suggesting the film could sustain its lead in the days ahead.
Trailing far behind at No. 2 is ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins’, which reportedly earned less than one-third of ‘Call Me Mother’s’ opening haul. While the gap is significant, observers note that the film still benefited from the MMFF platform, as horror titles typically struggle to reach similar opening-day figures outside the festival.
At No. 3 is ‘UnMarry’, starring Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo. Despite ranking third, the film is gaining momentum due to strong word of mouth. Reports from cinemas indicate sold-out evening screenings, with exhibitors expecting further growth following the MMFF awards night—potentially enough to challenge ‘Evil Origins’ in the coming days.
Surprisingly landing at No. 4 is ‘Bar Boys: After School’. Cinema checks suggest that organized groups have been actively choosing the film, prompting its studio to add more screening venues nationwide.
Rounding out the rest of the field:
- No. 5: Love You So Bad
- No. 6: I’m Perfect, led by Earl Amaba and Krystel Go
- No. 7: Manila’s Finest
- No. 8: Rekonek
In total, the eight MMFF entries reportedly generated around ₱98 million on opening day, with ‘Call Me Mother’ accounting for roughly half of the entire gross. The remaining seven films shared the other ₱49 million.
As in previous years, MMFF organizers did not release official opening-day figures. Still, industry insiders see the numbers as an encouraging sign—especially with only eight official entries this year, allowing even lower-ranked films to post respectable box-office returns.
