This was confirmed by the organizing committee.
According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the 50th edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival was able to reach its target Php 800 million gross.
Atty. Don Artes, who serves as chariman of the MMDA and concurrent MMFF overall Chairman, said that the golden edition of the MMFF “leveled up the standards of the annual festival in terms of quality of entries, inclusivity, the revival of the Student Short Film Festival with the FDCP, education, promotions, subsidy for block screenings and talk back sessions, even the trophy, the awards, the parade and the general conduct of activities.”
“The MMFF would like to thank all the stakeholders and the public for making its 50th edition one for the books,” he added.
Listed in alphabetical order, the top three entries based on gross sales receipts are: ‘And The Breadwinner Is,’ ‘Green Bones,’ and ‘The Kingdom.’
In a post on Wednesday, January 15, Star Cinema reported that ‘Breadwinner,’ which stars Vice Ganda, breached the Php 400 million mark in the local box-office, while the producers of the latter two did not share official figures, as of writing.
“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,” the post read.
“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,” the chairman continued.
“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,” Artes emphasized.
MMDA has also previously disclosed that proceeds from the MMFF will go to a number of beneficiaries in the film industry.
The list is led by the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund), the Film Academy of the Philippines, the Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council, the Optical Media Board (OMB), and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
The 50th Metro Manila Film Festival ran from December 25, 2024 until January 14, 2025, a week later than its originally intended January 7 last screening day.