Paul Soriano
MANILA, Philippines — High ticket prices for local films might be keeping Filipinos out of the cinemas, according to presidential adviser on creative communications and film director Paul Soriano on Tuesday.
During a hearing for House Resolution 451 from Deputy House Speaker Camille Villar, which aimed to promote local film production and revive a “Golden Era” of movies, the recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) was brought up as only a selected few movies saw financial success.
“The only reason why I think there is only one or two big [hits] is because the general public can only afford to watch one film, or maybe two at most, so that’s why the other five or six films don’t get seen,” said Soriano.
Soriano’s film “My Teacher”, starring his actress wife Toni Gonzaga, was not counted among the MMFF’s top earners, and the movie currently has 3.5 out of 10 stars on fan and critical film review website IMDb.
READ: MMFF 2022 gross sales reach P500M target — MMDA
“I understand that there have been many debates and discussions on ticket prices, but I think that is maybe a first step to take a look at,” said Soriano, referring to the film industry as a whole and not just the MMFF.
According to him, there are no problems with the quality of Philippine cinema, but “but nobody is watching it” due to high ticket prices.
“If there’s ”Libreng Sakay”, mayroon bang “Libreng Cinema’?” the director quipped.
The presidential advisor also pointed to foreign movies and blockbusters, such as Disney Studios’ Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) as major competition.
“We’re also competing with foreign cinema, where you have the MCU, the Avengers, which I think is a top choice,” he said.