'The Loved One' earns ₱95 million in 7 days, a much-needed win for PH cinema

She is loved by Filipinos, and they flocked to cinemas over the Valentine’s week as Irene Emma Villamor's The Loved One, starring Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales, earned a strong ₱95 million in its first seven (7) days in the Philippines.

(C) Viva

The opening is also the highest for a local R-13 film since Mallari back in December 2023. If it continues to perform well, the film will be on track to become Rosales’ highest-grossing film ever. The same can be said for co-producer Cornerstone Studios, which currently has Five Breakups and a Romance as its top grosser. Newcomer independent marketing and communications agency Lunchbox, meanwhile, can already take pride in this as its most successful project launched to date.

Plagued by countless debates on social media for months due to the underwhelming performance of MMFF 2025, the local industry can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief and celebrate a major win for Philippine cinema. What went right?

First, the material itself. Director Irene Emma Villamor, fresh from the critically acclaimed Only We Know, has delivered another film that critics such as Lé Baltar and Wanggo Gallaga have been raving about.

The release date, a slot that made films such as Starting Over Again and Alone/Together bona fide hits, was perfect for a romantic drama. Valentine’s Day is a huge occasion for regular and casual moviegoers, and it helped that its international competition, Wuthering Heights and Goat, weren’t exactly home runs. And yes, lower ticket prices arguably helped significantly as well. With reduced prices, quantity becomes the name of the game, and Valentine’s served as the perfect booster to drive up mall attendance (where most cinemas in the country are located).

Marketing-wise, the film was easier to sell to moviegoers compared to heavy R-rated dramas or kids’ movies. There was already a huge potential audience to tap into, and the project had an acclaimed director and two well-known actors to highlight.

Speaking of actors, all of this is bolstered by the name Anne Curtis, one of the last true movie stars. She has consistently delivered audiences to films across different genres (Aurora, BuyBust, and The Gifted are vastly different from one another). She is the driving force, and The Loved One is further proof.

pumunta ako ng sm sa cavite, bumirit si anne curtis ng golden, napunit yung manila paper na prompter, di ko maintidihan ang mga nangyayari pic.twitter.com/2lD7h53k7j

— josh (@mondaycleaners) January 31, 2026

To be fair, the team didn’t rely solely on Curtis’ name in the promotional materials. Lunchbox ensured that mall tours (effective for this genre) reached beyond fandoms and activated more casual moviegoers. Having Cup of Joe release a new version of their recent megahit “Multo” for the film was also a strategic move (My Love Will Make You Disappear did the same with Maki’s “Dilaw”). It will be interesting to see how they market Almost Us, starring newer stars JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith, which hits cinemas this May.

With no significant competition until Scream 7, the film has room to generate even more at the box office. After Scream, the trio of Hoppers, Sisa, and The Bride! will take up screens, although all three may prove more challenging to market locally.

Meanwhile, Sam Raimi's thriller Send Help added $35K (est. ₱2 million) this week, lifting its three-week total to $294K (₱17 million). Avatar: Fire & Ash also continues to chug along, adding $88K (est. ₱5 million) this week. In nine weeks, the threequel has already made $7.2 million (₱421 million) in the country.