‘Tanging Ina’ breaches P100M in 7 days

MANILA, Philippines—A comedy about a mother who seeks odd jobs to make both ends meet for her family and eventually lands the highest office in the country after an outrageous twist of fate has become the hands-down box office champion of the 34th Metro Manila Film Festival, breaching the P100 million mark in seven days.

Star Cinema’s “Ang Tanging Ina N’yong Lahat,” starring Ai Ai delas Alas made P102.5 million after a week of showing in the MMFF. According to official MMFF executive committee figures, the festival total gross reached P284 million or 32 percent higher than the first seven-day take last year.

Another comedy, OctoArts/M-Zet/APT’s “Iskul Bukol: 20 Years After,” a zany adventure of famous TV sitcom characters in the 1980s featuring Tito, Vic and Joey remained in second place with P72.6 million. At third was still the Regal Films horror franchise “Shake, Rattle and Roll X,” which banners young stars Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, JC de Vera, Roxanne Guinoo and Marian Rivera, with P45.7 million.

The other Regal entry, “Desperadas 2,” which features an ensemble cast led by Ruffa Gutierrez, Rufa Mae Quinto, Iza Calzado, Marian Rivera and Ogie Alcasid followed at fourth with P27.3 million. The multi-award winning Viva Films entry “Baler,” which headlines Jericho Rosales and festival best actress Anne Curtis, is a close fifth with P24.5 million.

A distant sixth is OctoArts Films’ “One Night Only,” which stars Diana Zubiri, Jennylyn Mercado, Katrina Halili, Valerie Concepcion and Alessandra de Rossi, earning P5.7 million. At seventh is the highest grossing Filipino animated movie “Dayo sa Mundo ng Elementalia” from Cutting Edge Productions with P4.1 million. Rounding up the list is the Jinggoy Estrada-Christopher de Leon starrer “Magkaibigan,” which earned P1.6 million and gave De Leon his eighth best actor award, the most by any artist in the festival’s history.