Paul Soriano, a Filipino film director, said that expensive movie tickets may be deterring Filipinos from going to the movies.
The recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) was brought up at a hearing for House Resolution 451 by Deputy House Speaker Camille Villar, which wanted to boost local film production, since only a select few movies found financial success.
The general population can only afford to see one or maybe two at most, so that’s why the other five or six movies don’t get viewed, according to Soriano.
“I understand that there have been many debates and discussions on ticket prices, but I think that is maybe a first step to take a look at,” said Soriano.
He claims that the quality of Philippine movie is excellent, but that owing to the expensive tickets, “nobody is viewing it.” The presidential advisor also pointed to foreign movies and blockbusters, such as Disney Studios’ Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) as major competition.
The movie “My Teacher,” which stars Soriano’s actress wife Toni Gonzaga, did not place among the top earners at the MMFF and now has 3.5 out of 10 stars on IMDb