Mufasa: The Lion King continues to enjoy the post-MMFF boost as it gets almost a 97% increase during the week of January 8-12. Meanwhile, we have officially received a box office number for MMFF 2024, courtesy of Star Cinema.
The Lion King prequel added ₱22.58 million ($385,448) since it returned to regular cinemas during the tracking week. In four weeks, the film has already banked ₱146.85 million ($2,506,722) in the country.
CBO gave the film 3/5 stars in a review which described it as an "epic adventure worthy to be seen this holiday on the big screen."
Moana 2 also returned this week in cinemas and grossed ₱2.1 million for a total of ₱501 million ($8,568,022), doubling what its predecessor did here in the country in U.S. rates.
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| And The Breadwinner Is... (C) Star Cinema |
However, it's possible that Mufasa was not the #1 movie of the week in the country. Star Cinema has officially reported that And The Breadwinner Is... starring Vice Ganda has grossed over ₱400 million as of January 14. This is a very solid final number for a Vice Ganda film. It is higher that Vice's last MMFF entry, Partners in Crime (2022), and even her last pre-pandemic entry, The Mall, The Merrier (2019).
The film also revived longevity for a Vice Ganda feature, cementing her return to the top of the MMFF season. Her films tend to perform well throughout the festival season and even afterward, although they have seen a decline over the years. Expect a few more millions to be added to the final number, as some cinemas are still screening the Jun Lana-directed dramedy.
CBO praised Vice Ganda's performance in the film and described her as "someone who now not only brings joy but also delivers lessons and necessary melancholy."
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also reported that Green Bones and The Kingdom were the next two top-grossing films of the festival. MMDA did not specify which film took second place. They also announced that the 2024 iteration has crossed their target sales of ₱800 million. This respectable number falls between the post-pandemic iterations: 2022 (₱500 million) and 2023 (₱1.069 billion), the latter of which was boosted by the box office sensation Rewind.
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| Green Bones (C) GMA Pictures |
With Green Bones and last year's Firefly, GMA Pictures seems to have found a winning formula for MMFF. Aside from the films being objectively well-made, they also feature familiar names and universal themes. GMA appears to favor a longer play, where, once the films win awards, word-of-mouth carries them further. It didn’t hurt that both films were from the same director-writer duo, Zig Dulay and Anj Atienza. Unfortunately, we don’t have information on their budgets or final box office gross, but GMA Pictures should also benefit from ancillary income, as these two films make a strong case for their value.
Meanwhile, The Kingdom suggests that a loyal fanbase of Vic Sotto will continue to support his films, even when stepping outside of his usual genre. The film also benefited from other factors, including a packed cast (featuring Piolo Pascual) and an intriguing premise for local cinephiles.
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| Espantaho (C) IMDB |
Espantaho was an interesting case this year. Every MMFF season, one horror movie tends to break out and dominate. Even after the pandemic, this has remained the case for the festival (Deleter actually topped 2022, and Mallari did well in 2023). It seemed inevitable that Espantaho would follow suit. It also had an A-list lead in Judy Ann Santos, backed by director Chito S. Roño, who has helmed some of the country’s most iconic horror films.
What happened? Make no mistake, the film did make money, placing in the higher ranks of the box office. Judy Ann Santos also won the Best Actress award this season. However, it didn’t explode as many expected. Perhaps the premise wasn’t as easy to sell as those of Deleter and Mallari, which had a more direct appeal to the horror crowd. By the time the festival films were released, the buzz had shifted elsewhere. In such cases, the backing of a major studio could help sustain interest, which Espantaho lacked.
Another interesting case was Dan Villegas' thriller Uninvited from Mentorque and Project 8. However, even before its release, its cons were already apparent. Its R-16 rating and premise limited its potential audience. Save for a few exceptions, such as the Fifty Shades and Deadpool trilogies, which already have core fans, a high MTRCB rating tends to limit box office potential unless the entire world is on board.
Production seems to aware of this and went for the risk anyway. They packed the film with massive stars—Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach, and Nadine Lustre—to appeal to different demographics, and Warner Bros. backed it for distribution. They were also willing to invest in expensive film cameras.
Unfortunately, there are still no official reports on the film’s box office performance. Unofficial reports suggest it ranked in the higher half of the box office, but it’s clear it performed lower than Warner Bros./Mentorque's 2023 project Mallari, which had a more marketable premise and genre. However, this film may have appeal in international and ancillary markets, so it will be interesting to see what next steps Mentorque will take.
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| Isang Himala (C) Creazion |
Every year, the number of films included in the festival sparks discussion. There’s a strong argument to be made that not all films will recoup their expenses. At the same time, getting a spot in the festival remains a lucrative opportunity. Perhaps one must play it smart once the entire slate is revealed. Not every film can do what Star Cinema expertly does: open big right out of the gate and dominate the festival. It’s a tough challenge, but finding the right marketing and release strategy is key.
Films like Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital and Isang Himala arguably still have a lot of potential if the right audience discovers them before they reach digital or streaming platforms. If they still have the resources, Strange Frequencies could be re-released with a small but effective marketing campaign.
MMFF 50 will be remembered for its genre diversity and A-list stars and studios stepping out of their comfort zones. If there’s one lesson to learn, it should be that to convince people to see a film, you don’t always need to say it—make them want to see it.
