Did You Know: Network war reflected in MMFF first-day grosses

The network war again made its presence felt in the Metro Manila Film Festival – specifically, in the first-day box-office results on Christmas Day. The film companies of ABS-CBN (Star Cinema) and GMA 7 (GMA Films) are still vying for first place at press time.

Star Cinema/M-Zet/APT/OctoArts’ “Enteng ng Ina Mo” emerged on top, with GMA Films/Imus’ “Ang Panday 2” in second place. In third is Star Cinema/MJM/Agosto Dos’ “Segunda Mano,” with a slight lead over OctoArts’ “My Househusband” in fourth.

Regal’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll 13” and “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” are in the fifth and sixth spots. Rounding up the ranking is Viva/Scenema Concepts’ “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story” in seventh place.

This festival is showing a marked increase in grosses compared to last year’s, according to Ric Camaligan, member of the fest’s executive committee. Dominic Du, also an execom member, told the Inquirer that the films posted a total of P107 million, a 19 percent increase from last year’s P90-M first-day earnings. Bayani San Diego Jr.