MMFF 2023 hits P1B in box office: Create more ‘quality Filipino films’

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The films of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF)

MANILA, Philippines — The 2023 edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has crossed the P1-billion mark in total box office sales, as the annual festival has been extended until Jan. 14.

The MMFF committee announced the combined gross receipts of the MMFF 2023 on its official Facebook page while expressing its gratitude to moviegoers. The festival’s spokesperson Noel Ferrer also confirmed the figures in a text message to INQUIRER.net.

“Isang bilyong pasasalamat. Isang bilyong pagmamahal. Buong bansa ang nakisaya sa MMFF 2023. Maraming salamat po (One billion thanks. One billion love. The whole country joined in the fun at the MMFF 2023. Thank you very much),” the post read.

This is the first time the annual festival has crossed the P1-billion mark since 2018, which marked a record box office of approximately P1.061 billion.

The current edition of the MMFF is composed of 10 film entries including “Rewind,” “Mallari,” “Becky & Badette,” “When I Met You in Tokyo,” “GomBurZa,” “Firefly,” “A Family of Two,” “Broken Heart’s Trip,” “K(ampon),” and “Penduko.”

During the Gabi ng Parangal last Dec. 27, “GomBurZa” was deemed the biggest winner as it brought home a total of seven awards. “Firefly,” on the other hand, was named Best Picture.

Paving the way for ‘quality Filipino films’

Ferrer, who is thankful for MMFF 2023’s feat, said the box office of the annual festival is a reminder to the film industry that audiences are “waiting” for movies that are worth their money.

“This just tells us that the audiences are there waiting for content that would be worth their spending. We shouldn’t stop creating good quality Filipino film content and we all should be supporting each other and exerting more effort in reaching out to the audiences as the artists and the festival organizers did in this year’s MMFF edition,” he said.

Ferrer also shared that the MMFF committee is beefing up its efforts for the first Manila International Film Festival (MIFF), which was launched in November of last year.

“After the 49th MMFF, our efforts are geared towards the very first Manila International Film Festival as this year’s MMFF entries are going to Hollywood from Jan 29 to Feb 2,” he said.

The MIFF will screen the 10 film entries of this year’s MMFF, to “showcase, promote, and help uplift Filipino films from the Philippines in Hollywood and beyond,” as mentioned on its official website.

The US-based festival also hopes to “bridge the gap and connect [the] Philippine entertainment industry with that of Hollywood and the international stage.”