MMFF 2023 hits P1-billion box office sales; ditches Summer MMFF

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

The 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has hit P1.069 billion in overall box office sales, surpassing the record set by its 2018 edition — as the annual festival was extended until Jan. 14.

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Atty Romando Artes confirmed the figures at a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 9, saying the amount of combined receipts in gross sales is considered monumental as the 10 film entries were opened to the public in 800 cinemas.

The film entries in the MMFF’s 2018 edition were screened in 1,200 theaters, per MMDA.

“Moviegoers watched multiple films while others watched films repeatedly. Hopefully, we can sustain this beyond the festival so that our film producers can offer quality movies all year round,” Artes said. “We also encourage filmmakers to create better films for the MMFF’s 50th edition.”

The MMDA also confirmed there would be no Summer MMFF in the coming months, as they want to set their sights on the festival’s upcoming 50th edition. The first edition of the Summer MMFF was launched in April of last year.

“We are expecting to feature bigger and better films for our 50th edition as we celebrate the cinemagoers return to theaters and patronize local movies,” Artes said.

Despite this, the MMFF Committee is setting its sights on the upcoming Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) which will be held in Los Angeles, California in the US from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2.