Why focus on the box-office results of films whether domestic or international instead of the popular appeal of their stars?
Why not?
In an industry where the market is accustomed and impassioned by the glitter and the adulation of movie stars, box-office results balance the equation between art and business and other things in between.
Box-office results reflect the economic condition of a particular society that speaks of their cultural and social responsibilities.
They can also mean escape or confrontation with reality onscreen or more so, outside the screen, whether harsh or pleasant.
They say that an impoverished nation would rather spend its money to put food on the table than watch a movie.
But cinema can also lighten the burden of a moviegoer, inspire him or her to think and move forward.
As an enterprise, filmmaking must also sustain itself by its profits or break-even postures to contribute and foster a stable economy.
It also shows the bankability of filmmakers.
The recent national film festival thrusts itself as well to these parameters, however, randomly limited.
Everyone is waiting for the official box-office results of the recently concluded 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) that kicked off on December 25, 2025, Christmas Day and was initially announced to end on January 7, 2026.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) which organizes the annual MMFF has extended the festival run until January 14, 2026.
According to Romando Artes, MMDA Chairman, the 2025 MMFF has been performing well especially even after the holidays.
He said that the audiences are queuing up in cinemas after the New Year celebration which naturally compounds the earnings of the fest.
"First time nangyari ito (This is the first time that it happened)," he quipped.
According to Artes, the 51st MMFF has broken the records of the previous festivals when seven out of eight entries have surpassed the eight-digit sales.
Although the MMDA hasn't released yet an official tally of the gross sales of the festival, Artes has dismissed the circulation of box-office takes of the eight entries from diverse sources calling them inaccurate, there are, however, reliable industry stakeholders that have come out with unofficial gross-receipts.
Based on the volume of tickets sold, Star Cinema, The IdeaFirst Company and Viva Films' "Call Me Mother" which stars Vice Ganda and Nadine Lustre still leads the box-office race.
Regal Entertainment's "Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins" which features a smorgasbord cast in three episodes, ranks in second.
Meanwhile, Quantum Films and Cineko Productions' "Unmarry" which top bills Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo places third.
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