MANILA — The 51st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has extended its theatrical run until January 14 following a surge in audience turnout after the holidays, festival organizers said.

The annual film festival was originally scheduled to end on January 7.

In a report, it said that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando Artes said the festival remains a success despite a significant decline in total gross compared to last year’s edition, which reportedly earned around PHP100 million more in ticket sales.

“Kaya ko nasabi na successful, kasi seven out of eight movies lumampas sa eight digits yung gross receipts nila, which is first time na nangyari. During the previous years, isa o dalawa lang ang eight digits, tapos yung iba pababa na,” Artes said in a television interview.

He noted that box-office performance improved after the holiday break, with stronger ticket sales recorded for most of the festival’s eight official entries. Although no official figures were released, Artes said seven of the eight films surpassed the eight-digit mark in gross receipts for the first time in the festival’s history.

“We’re going to extend it until Jan. 14. Compared to last year, on a daily basis mas mataas ‘yung gross. As in mataas, malaki pa. So we’re extending it for another week,” he said.

With the extension, MMFF complimentary passes will also remain valid until January 14.

MMFF spokesperson Manuel Noel Ferrer echoed Artes’ remarks, saying in a Facebook post that the festival showed “promising signs of recovery,” with post-New Year box-office grosses surpassing those of the previous year despite falling short in overall earnings. He attributed the increase in turnout to positive word-of-mouth and the return of moviegoers from the holiday break.

Artes acknowledged that reduced consumer spending may have affected ticket sales, noting, “Medyo mababa ang consumer spending natin ngayon. Ang pelikula, among the priorities, hindi talaga siya priority.”

He also cited the absence of films catering to children in this year’s lineup, saying, “Siguro, walang pambata ngayon eh. ‘Yung festival na ito, it’s a mix of commercial and artistic films. In the previous edition, it was more commercial. Now, you see an increase in artistic value among the films, which I think affects their commercial value.”

On cinema ticket prices, Artes said movie-going should remain affordable for the public. “For me personally, (watching a film on the big screen) should not cost more than P300,” he said. “That’s one thing that can be considered. For example, if the ticket is priced at P400, let’s make it P600 for two, so that families will be more encouraged to watch.”

The MMFF said it will continue discussions with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP) to explore possible ticket price adjustments and incentives such as group or family discounts.

“The MMFF will continue its dialogue with CEAP on how to make movie-watching more accessible — and we may explore offering incentives (for volume sales or promo bundle schemes),” Ferrer said.

The issue of rising ticket prices resurfaced after filmmaker Jun Robles Lana, director of MMFF entry “Call Me Mother,” criticized increasing cinema costs for discouraging Filipino families from watching films during the festival.

CEAP president Irene Jose earlier said that focusing solely on ticket pricing “risks oversimplifying a much deeper, structural challenge facing theatrical exhibition today,” citing issues such as shortened theatrical windows, streaming-first viewing habits, and piracy.