Amid a plethora of new and re-releases during the month of October, audiences still seemed reluctant to return to cinemas. With Taylor Swift backing out of expanding her Showgirl release party to Asia and other international markets, the absence of a breakout hit became even more apparent.
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| TRON: Ares (C) Disney |
The month had two potential heavyweights but delivered uninspiring results. Disney's TRON: Ares failed to capture the interest of Filipino viewers. The Jared Leto-led film collected only $517,955 (approx. ₱30 million) in its first three weeks. Even more concerning, it failed to build upon its predecessor, TRON: Legacy, which made $1.6 million (approx. ₱70 million) almost 15 years ago. It’s clear that nostalgia isn’t resonating with local audiences.
Quezon, the supposed final entry in the Bayaniverse series, also couldn’t seize the opportunity of a relatively dry month. Aside from the reported ₱6 million opening-day gross and ₱30 million opening-week gross, there have been no new updates regarding its box office performance. The opening was actually decent, ahead of Heneral Luna back in 2015. However, despite critical acclaim, the film hasn’t managed to hold strong legs as some in the industry had hoped. While a late controversy did spark some conversation around the film, it came too late to make a significant impact.
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| Quezon (C) TBA Studios |
What happened? As we’ve previously reported, the studio went all out in promoting the movie. Collaborations with brands such as Grab and Ikea introduced creative ways to reach wider audiences. Unfortunately, the film itself may not have appealed as much to the masses: a political drama compared to Luna and Goyo’s war-driven narratives. The campaign also leaned more traditional overall: billboards, interviews with journalists and key figures, and mall tours. In an era dominated by fan edits on TikTok to sell a film's theme, the film’s early campaign lacked a narrative hook that people could latch onto.
It didn’t help that it was competing for attention with buzzier local festivals, Cinemalaya and CineSilip, among cinephiles, while the general population was preoccupied with more pressing national issues.
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| Dreamboi (C) ABSCBN |
Speaking of local festivals, on the bright side, the box office lull allowed these events to steal the spotlight from mainstream fare. The 2025 edition of Cinemalaya grossed ₱13 million, a 130% increase compared to its 2024 edition. Fueled by the MTRCB rating issue, Rodina Singh’s Dreamboi generated strong buzz for the inaugural CineSilip Film Festival.
Despite being available on Disney+ for five years, Hamilton fans still showed up in force for its anniversary theatrical re-release. The recording earned $297,174 (approx. ₱17 million) during its two-week run in the country. The same can’t be said for the re-release of Avatar: The Way of Water, which only drew admissions totaling $33,776 (approx. ₱2 million).
Interest in The Black Phone series also hasn’t expanded, as Black Phone 2 is only on track to match its predecessor’s final total locally. In two weeks, the sequel has grossed just $105,785 (approx. ₱6.2 million) in the Philippines.
How crucial was the cancellation of Ms. Swift’s event? The Eras Tour reportedly made ₱97 million during its first three days in the country. Assuming a similar drop from Eras to Showgirl applies here, it could easily have become one of the month’s top grossers.
Fortunately, November looks more promising. Star Cinema returns to the big screen with Cathy Garcia-Sampana’s Meet, Greet & Bye. QCinema is set to once again deplete the savings of local cinephiles. Disney will attempt to replicate its Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 successes with Zootopia 2. And yes, there’s Wicked: For Good.
The article has been updated to add figures for Quezon.
