JOHN Arcilla plays Gen. Antonio Luna.
In the film trade, both here and abroad, the “100” mark (P100 million, $100 million) is seen as the official touchstone or standard for a certified hit. By that much-yearned-for yardstick, the big hits of 2015 thus far include “Jurassic World,” “Inside Out,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Minions,” “Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation,” “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Straight Outta Compton.”
On the local film scene, the list is shorter, with rom-coms “Crazy Beautiful You,” “You’re My Boss,” and “The Breakup Playlist” setting the pace.
Thus, it’s even more heartening to see that a historical production, “Heneral Luna” has made it to the cinematic hit parade. (At presstime, it has reached the P240 million mark in gross receipts—and counting—officially breaking even!)
This is unexpectedly great news for its makers, since historical films are supposed to be “poison” at the box office. What makes “Heneral Luna” a happy exception to that dismally desultory rule?
It makes history “come alive” for viewers—and teaches them that lessons learned from the past can be made relevant and meaningful to our lives today.
That’s a key contribution, so we should reward the film by seeing it ourselves and talking about it, for added measure, to keep spreading the good word and thus make it an even bigger success!
If it continues to be a success, you can bet that more producers will similarly “dare to dare” and come up with their own unconventional hits—and, everybody wins!
It’s relevant to recall at this point that this isn’t the first time that a “sleeper” (unexpected) hit has made people sit up, pay close attention, and want to duplicate the “surprise” phenomenon.
In the 1970s, local mainstream movies were, as they are now, generally shallow and predictable, because producers felt that viewers would reject movies that depicted and confronted reality, instead of blithely running away from it.
Then came Lino Brocka’s “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang,” a film that exposed the harsh realities festering in a small town, and the film was savvily marketed with students in mind. Teachers made it required viewing for their students, moviehouses were consequently filled to capacity, other theaters and screening venues were hurriedly added—and the “serious” film became an unexpected hit!
Golden age
Even better, its success inspired other producers to come up with “significant” and reality-based movies of their own, in the fond and brave hope that cinematic “lightning” would strike not just twice but many times—and a Golden Age of Filipino films was launched!
In subsequent decades, other “daringly substantial” productions were similarly rewarded with accolades and SRO audiences—Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s “Jose Rizal” and Laurice Guillen’s “Tanging Yaman,” among them. Yes, they shared the hit list with some really tacky comedies, but they continued to prove that, when everything works out well and fits, it pays to dare and take “dangerous” risks that bring out the best, not just in our filmmakers, but in our viewers, as well!
Trouble is, we have woefully short memories, so the fact that some quality Filipino productions have made a lot of money has to be “proven” again and again, for new generations of filmmakers and moviegoers.
Thank goodness, “Heneral Luna” has come along, just in the nick of time, to debunk the many cynical naysayers out there, and once again prove that our movies can be great viewing experiences—and hot hits at the box office, as well.
Talk about a win-win situation, this is it! Let’s hope that other well-conceptualized and -crafted films productively and prosperously follow.
RELATED STORIES
Netizens lament pull-out of ‘Heneral Luna’ from cinemas
‘Heneral Luna’ invades the Oscars