The box office is… still fighting.
As the expected heavyweights are still weeks/months away from release, other players are seizing the opportunity to grab the attention of Filipino moviegoers—with interesting results.
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| (C) VIVA Films |
VIVA Films’ A Special Memory, starring Bela Padilla and Carlo Aquino, is the top opener during the latest tracking week (March 11–15, 2026). According to PEP, the drama-romance has collected ₱20 million in its first full week (March 16–17 is likely included in the count) in cinemas. This is actually a respectable opening for an original film and falls just short of the opening of Bela Padilla’s recent sequel film 100 Awit Para Kay Stella, which grossed around ₱30 million in its first five days.
Aside from Padilla’s resurgence as a decent box office draw, the opening was also aided by the discounted ticket prices offered for the film (with some cinemas offering tickets as low as ₱99–150). Talkback sessions were also organized during the opening week, which likely helped in drumming up conversation about the film. With word of mouth kicking in and a more appealing price point for some, the film is hoping to perform well during the remaining days of the month.
Last week’s top opener, Hoppers, saw a solid drop in its second week. The Disney and Pixar original fell 42% this week, making around $316K (est. ₱19 million). While the drop is steeper than Elemental (-23%), it is much better than last year’s Elio (-63%), suggesting a longevity rate somewhere between the two. In two weeks, the film has totaled $930,255 (est. ₱56 million).
Reminders of Him also opened this week in the country, grossing over $17K (est. ₱1 million) across around 180 screens, per Box Office Mojo. The romance film is looking to match the final box office total of Regretting You ($56K), another Colleen Hoover adaptation, in the country.
Meanwhile, likely boosted by week-long Oscar buzz, Hamnet saw a modest 14% decline this week, earning $1.7K (est. ₱100K). In four weeks, the Chloé Zhao-directed drama has already made $34,587 (est. ₱2 million). Bugonia was also re-released during the week and collected $797 (₱47K), bringing its new total to $38,459 (₱2.3 million). Pioneer Films’ Shelter, starring Jason Statham, has also reached an updated total of $160,394 (est. ₱9.6 million) in the country.
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| (C) The IdeaFirst Company |
Lastly, we now have an unofficial box office update for Jun Robles Lana’s historical thriller Sisa. In three weeks, the Hilda Koronel-led film has reportedly collected ₱30 million across the Philippines. That’s actually a commendable number for a film in this genre, although with no officially reported budget, it remains to be seen whether it can break even.
It is also just behind last year’s R-rated drama Sunshine, which reportedly made around ₱50 million during its entire run. Similar to Sunshine, Sisa is not backed by a major local studio with a large marketing machine. Given the similarity in their performances, this should be seen as proof that there is interest (albeit smaller for now) in local fare outside comedies or romcoms outside the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). Budget and revenue sharing are matters for producers and exhibitors to settle.
What happened here? The presence of Hilda Koronel seems to have widened the appeal of such a rare project to both older audiences and the younger cinephile crowd. She also appeared on various popular local social media programs to reach more potential viewers. And yes, even the film title Sisa helped in attracting casual moviegoers.
It also likely helped that the film’s trailer was already attached to local films shown during the last MMFF. Speaking of MMFF, director Jun Robles Lana was also coming off the success of Call Me Mother. It will be interesting to see if director Irene Emma Villamor can replicate that success following The Loved One with Midnight Girls.
Similar to A Special Memory and The Loved One, Sisa was offered at a discounted ticket price, which likely made it more appealing to those who are still hesitant to watch films at a higher price point.
In the coming week, Columbia Pictures is hoping Project Hail Mary will amaze Filipino moviegoers, while local films Graduation Day and Songs for Selina also open.
