‘There are lessons to be learned, but we acknowledge the great effort and sacrifice given by the ones who were part of this milestone festival. – MMDA Chairman Artes’
At the end of the extended and much-celebrated golden edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), an announcement was made that it had reached its P800-million target gross sales, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Atty. Romando Artes, MMDA chair and concurrent MMFF overall chairman, stated that MMFF50 raised the standards of the annual festival in terms of the quality of entries, inclusivity, education, promotions, the revival of the Student Short Film Festival with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Sine Sigla sa Singkwenta MMFF Classics, subsidies for block screenings and talk-back sessions, the trophy, the awards, the parade, and the general conduct of activities.
In alphabetical order, the top three films of the MMFF50 box office are “And the Breadwinner Is…,” “Green Bones” and “The Kingdom.”
“The MMFF would like to thank all the stakeholders and the public for making its 50th edition one for the books,” said Artes.
“Rest assured that the MMFF will continue all efforts by encouraging our stakeholders, especially the local entertainment industry, to create quality films. The key to our success is in collaborating, helping and supporting each other instead of fuelling divisiveness, coming out with unsubstantiated claims, and sweeping judgments.
“We did our best to give the public the best edition of the MMFF for its golden year. There are lessons to be learned, but we acknowledge the great effort and sacrifice given by the ones who were part of this milestone festival. It was a success as it upped the standards from the previous MMFFs, and by saying so, we redefined our indicators beyond box office returns, which is worthy of another study, moving forward.”
In our “Meet the Press” podcast with Marinel Cruz, Nathalie Tomada and Bobby Requintina, powered by The Pod Network, the MMDA and MMFF chair said that he will support the transfer of Metro Manila Film Festival to a national government agency if this would satisfy the ardent critics of the MMFF. He will make his recommendations after carefully studying the issue with the MMFF Execom, away from the social media noise and the nitpicking of some quarters.
On the other hand, FDCP Chair Direk Joey Reyes said, “The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is an active partner of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in the various activities and engagements of the annual MetroManila Film Festival. The agency, based on its mandate, has and will continue to support the efforts of MMDA to provide opportunities for the advancement and enrichment of Philippine cinema. Magkaakbay at hawak-kamay sa isang layunin.”
Henry Ong, in his article “What MMFF Films Reveal About the Economy, Stock Market in 2025,” made a valid point when he stated, “The MMFF has been a beloved Filipino tradition, which showcases local cinema and entertains millions during the holiday season. But beyond the entertainment value, the MMFF may also serve as a surprising barometer of social mood — and perhaps, a predictor of stock market trends.”
“According to socionomics, a theory developed by Robert Prechter, social mood drives societal trends, including stock market movements, cultural preferences, and even political events. The premise is simple yet impactful: when optimism dominates, people are drawn to happy and lighthearted forms of entertainment like comedies and fantasies. Conversely, during periods of pessimism, darker genres like dramas and horrors dominate, reflecting the collective anxieties of society. If history is any indication, the themes and genres of MMFF’s top-grossing films could provide valuable insights into the prevailing social mood, which may influence the direction of the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi).”
The connection between social mood and box office trends has been evident in the history of MMFF. During times of economic uncertainty, drama and horror films— genres that resonate with themes of hardship and fear — tend to dominate the festival.
“This ongoing trend reflects the negative social mood influencing the choices of moviegoers. Vice Ganda’s film, ‘And The Breadwinner Is…,’ a drama with comedic elements, is currently the top-grossing film of the MMFF, followed by ‘The Kingdom,’ another heavy drama starring comedian Vic Sotto, and ‘Espantaho,’ a horror movie.
“The dominance of these films at the MMFF box office could signal a cautious year ahead for the PSEi. These darker themes reflect a sense of pessimism in the collective psyche of the market. In socionomic terms, such negative social mood often precedes periods of reduced consumer spending, heightened risk aversion and slower economic growth — all factors that can weigh heavily on stock market performance.
“As the PSEi faces the possibility of further challenges, the persistence of a negative social mood could act as a headwind for economic recovery and market stability in 2025. While the direction of investor sentiment remains uncertain, the alignment between social mood and market performance serves as a strong reminder of their deep interconnection. By understanding these signals, we can better manage the risks and opportunities the market presents this year.”
But “Green Bones” somehow gives us a glimmer of hope amidst this felt uncertainty.
This could be seen as a sign that the Filipino movie-going public is responding to the changes that the local film industry is undertaking in response to a more discerning audience.
As Rappler (2025) noted, film analysts say this year’s films in the MMFF are of better quality than in pre-pandemic years, when escapist movies were the box-office winners.
FDCP Chair Direk Joey said in his blog and in our podcast interview, “This is one MMFF where commercialism is not a shameless display of reductive or even pandering movies meant to cater to the most superficial level of human intelligence. Instead, some of these movies are well thought out, all are well produced, but most of all, the 10 films want to bring back the audiences to the movie houses where their narratives can be savored properly as a community experience—a celebration of Christmas.”
Direk Joey went on to cite an industry study: “We have lost completely the D and E markets who used to watch Philippine movies. We only have now the B and C1 markets watching movies… Philippine cinema patronage is a middle-class activity. Nawala na po ‘yung masa (The masses no longer watch). We now have the Rockwell audiences.”
Direk Joey also said stars still matter in the recall and audience familiarity, and the waiting time from when a film is shown in cinemas to the time it’s made available on streaming platforms has gone down from six months to just 45 days. So, movie-goers are just using their common sense and being rational. They now prefer to use their hard-earned money to subscribe instead to streaming platforms, where they can watch unli (unlimited) and on-demand
So does this development mean Philippine cinema is dead?
Not really. We all just have to get used to the idea that the cinema business, in general, is a sunset industry and has to be creatively dealt with, and a lot of people now prefer streaming platforms for entertainment. So there is a need to recalibrate our expectations on theater box office returns and initiative events that will drive people to keep going to the cinemas (just like the MMFF). If not, we’ll see the great migration to streaming platforms which has intensified since the pandemic.
