Metro Manila, Philippines – The 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will be extended for a week, with organizers seeing an increase in audience turnout after the holiday break.
In a Facebook post, MMFF Spokesperson Noel Ferrer said the post-New Year box office gross has shown promising “signs of recovery” for the annual festival.
“Despite falling short of last year’s overall earnings, the festival has seen an increase in audience turnout, a testament to the power of positive word-of-mouth and the return of moviegoers from their holiday breaks,” he said.
Ferrer said seven out of the eight films have already surpassed the eight-digit mark in terms of box office receipts.
He added that the organizers will hold a dialogue with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP) to discuss ways on how to make films more accessible to moviegoers.
Netizens and even filmmakers have lamented the high prices of movie tickets for the MMFF.
Jun Robles Lana, director of MMFF entry “Call Me Mother,” earlier said local cinema has “shifted from a shared national culture to a middle-class privilege” because of the expensive ticket prices.
“Today, a family of four would need at least P1,500 just to enter the theater, not including transportation or even a single bag of popcorn,” he wrote on Facebook.
Ferrer said organizers may explore the option of offering incentives or promo bundle schemes.
He said MMFF passes will still be honored during the one-week extension.
The festival was supposed to last until Wednesday, Jan. 7.
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