The gavel has hit the block, people. Local films are finally getting the weekend openings that they deserve.
A new memorandum from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has made it official that release days for new films will be moved from Wednesdays to Fridays. That’s a big win for local films, since some get pulled out from cinemas even before they can reach the weekend.
And in the interest of not letting premature film pullouts happen again, the FDCP has also made sure to guarantee films of at least seven days of run time in the theatre. The memorandum also bans cinemas from pulling out films sooner than three days after its release. During that time, films can also be assured of a “full screen,” meaning there will be no cinema splitting between, say, a brilliant but obscure local film and a giant international blockbuster. Cue the Kim K meme voice, “It’s what she deserves.”
“But I still don’t have enough money to watch a film in the cinema,” you say? Well, my young friends, the FDCP is also helping us out with that. To encourage more young people to watch local films, the memo is recommending that every Wednesday, movie tickets be priced at P200 for students under 18 years old in Metro Manila, and no more than P150 for provincial cinemas. Guess that means that on Wednesdays, we wear pink and watch local films.
The memo will take effect on the second week of July. We’re so ready to trade TV screens for cinemas next month.
Art by Renz Mart Reyes