We are so back. Star Cinema once again comes to save the day as Petersen Vargas' romantic drama Un/Happy For You dominates the box office with a huge ₱150 million+ opening ($2.65 million). Deadline has provided the 5-day opening.
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| Un/Happy For You. (C) Star Cinema |
For a non-MMFF movie, this is the biggest opening for a local movie since Hello, Love, Goodbye back in July 2019. This is also easily the highest opening for the Joshua Garcia-Julia Barretto love team which last starred together in horror pic Block Z (2020). It's also not far off from recent big opener Deadpool & Wolverine (₱182 million) - and that one was boosted by IMAX tickets.
“Itong kay Julia saka kay Joshua, it gives us hope,” says Film Development Council of the Philippines chair Jose Javier Reyes.
The local industry needed a hit and it really felt like Star Cinema was accepted the job to deliver. A look test was dropped immediately after the film announcement back in April 2024. The cast barnstormed several malls across the Luzon and Visayas region more than a month before its release date. Two trailers were also dropped during their promotional tour.
They did not stop after opening day as Julia Barretto & Bong Gonzales visited more cinemas during the opening weekend.
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| Julia Barretto & Bong Gonzales at SM North EDSA. (C) Star Cinema |
It didn't hurt either that the film was easy to sell. This is the genre + love team pair up a large demographic here will go to the big screen. The film also feels like a closure to the once-in-real life partner which likely helped in fueling ticket sales. Love teams are Philippines' franchises. Mix this with a decent premise and audiences will come. And critics aggregated by Kritikultura.com agree that the pair is magnetic on the big screen.
A total north of ₱300 million is within reach which is a huge milestone even before the pandemic era. While local films of other genre or without love teams remain challenged in attracting moviegoers, Star Cinema seems to have fully regained their capabilities.
Deadpool & Wolverine dropped 55% this week with ₱20 million+ ($360K). The MCU film has now banked $7.3 million in the country in four weeks.
Alien Romulus scares off est. ₱12.9 million ($220K) on its opening here in the country. The opening is lower than the last Alien entry Covenant which opened to est. ₱27 million ($540K) back in 2017. 20th Century Studios PH still made an effort here as promotional materials were partnered with Deadpool and Wolverine in theatres. No problem here for the mouse studio as they've got Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King coming - both of which will surely deliver cash at the box office. Weekend 33, (August 14-18, 2024)
