(from left) Director Kip Oebanda with “Balota” cast, Will Ashley, Sassa Gurl, Marian Rivera, Esnyr, and Raheel Bhyria
Marian Rivera’s political action-thriller “Balota” is solidifying its top grosser status after logging sold-out screenings in nearly 200 cinemas in almost two weeks since its release.
“Balota” continues to attract moviegoers, even on a Monday—considered a slow day for movies—after many screenings of the film were sold out last Oct. 21.
Since its theatrical release on Oct. 16, the film has been making the rounds on X’s (formerly Twitter) trending list as the viewers continued to share their reactions to the film.
“’Balota’ is really an advocacy film. So we are really pushing for more people to be able to watch it because it is a wakeup call to the public, especially young people.)
Rivera has also been making surprise visits to some selected theaters that are showing the film.
The award-winning actress also recently announced that they will be giving P150 special rates to teachers and students so they can watch the film.
“We believe in the ability of teachers and students to shape a better tomorrow for the Philippines. You can also see from the reactions of the teachers who watched that they were inspired and saw themselves in Teacher Emmy,” wrote the actress in her Facebook post last Sunday.
“Balota” tells the story of Teacher Emmy (Rivera), who gets assigned as one of the board of election inspectors for her local precinct but is forced to fight tooth and nail to safeguard the remaining ballot box containing the last copy of the election returns before all hell broke loose in a faraway town.
The film, which also premiered at the 44th Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) during the second week of October, is written and directed by Kip Oebanda.
Aside from Rivera, the cast also includes Gardo Versoza, Will Ashley, Raheel Bhyria, Royce Cabrera, Sassa Gurl, Esnyr, Nico Antonio, Donna Cariaga, Joel Saracho, Sue Prado, and Mae Paner.
“Balota” is currently showing in nationwide cinemas.