Local, foreign movies’ opening date moved to Friday
MANILA, Philippines – The theatrical release of local and foreign films will be moved from Wednesday to Friday, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) said Tuesday.
FDCP has released Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2019-01 indicating the policies and guidelines on the release of films in Philippine cinemas.
“To push for Philippine cinema’s growth and development, new policies have been introduced via the MC which applies to both local and foreign films, including the switching of the theatrical release of local and foreign films nationwide from Wednesday to Friday to accommodate more potential moviegoers during the weekend,” FDCP said in a statement.
FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño said the move was the result of FDCP’s dialogue with stakeholders, “from film producers, to distributors, to our exhibitors, and even the audience.”
The guideline, Diño said, “addresses the gaps that have long plagued our industry when it comes to screening films in commercial theatres.”
Apart from moving the opening date of films, FDCP said there will be a minimum run-length of at least seven days for every film booked for release.
FDCP said films shall also be assigned with “full screens” for the first three days of their exhibition which means there will be “no screen splitting, or a double booking and exhibition for a single theater screen.”
To give Filipino films a “higher chance of being seen by the audience,” FDCP said a fair ration for local and foreign films should be observed in regular playdates.
Pricing for movie tickets will also be adjusted to encourage watching local films among the youth.
Tickets will be pegged at P200 for students of ages 18 years old and below in Metro Manila and P150 pesos in provinces every Wednesdays.
To maximize the films’ revenue opportunity, FDCP said it should only be screened to other platforms in the country “after a holdback period of 150 days after its first day of exhibition. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)
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