MANILA – In just three days of screening, the Metro Manila Film Festival 2017 (MMFF) has surpassed the P373.3-million gross earnings of last year’s festival, officials said Thursday.
“We are very thankful for the overwhelming show of support by our Filipino moviegoers for this year’s MMFF,” said the festival’s Executive Chairman Thomas Orbos, though he declined to provide the figure of the gross earnings.
However, a source who declined to be identified told InterAksyon that as of noon of December 28, the earnings had already exceeded P400 million.
Meanwhile, Orbos is happy with the gross earnings of the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival ( MMFF), noting its significant edge over the 2016 results.
“I am vindicated actually,” Orbos said, apparently referring to the low gross earnings of the 2016 MMFF, where the tills only reached P370 million-plus.
In contrast, according to Orbos, this year’s MMFF is “unprecedented”.
“Highest first-day ticket sales ever! Highest second-day sales ever! Largest first-day foot traffic ever! Largest crowd estimate for Parade of the Stars!” Orbos exclaimed in an interview with reporters during the festival’s “Gabi ng Parangal” Wednesday at Kia Theatre in Quezon City .
Although he did not provide the exact amount of the two-day earnings of the MMFF, he said it certainly broke the second-day record set in 2015.
“I’m telling you, our second day surpassed the earnings in 2015 which is the highest that the MMFF has ever recorded,” he added.
The festival earned a total of P271 million on the first two days in 2015.
Orbos expressed hope the public will continue to support the eight entries of this year’s festival. “I hope that we can also surpass P1 billion,” he said.
The eight entries this year are: “Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad,” “Ang Panday,” “Haunted Forest,” “All of You,” “Meant to Beh,” “Deadma Walking,” “Siargao” and “Ang Larawan.”
