AS PER Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chair Jose Javier Reyes, the number of Filipinos who watch locally produced movies in cinemas has decreased, as seen in a survey that they had conducted.

This preliminary survey focused on the viewing habits of the Filipino audience and also revealed that only people from the socio-economic classes A, B, and C can afford to watch films. With social class C, only a small portion of them are able to do so.

Reyes explains that the number of audiences from the C market has decreased, limited only to C1. Those from socioeconomic classes D and E are no longer able to watch movies in cinemas.

Reyes explains that the biggest hits from the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for the past years were catered toward specific markets, with “Deleter” being one of the biggest. 

“Its audiences are those who can afford it,” he said. 

“That rings an alarming bell because instead of paying P500 to see it in theaters, they just wait for it on streaming apps.”

Reyes adds that “return viewers,” who go back to the cinema numerous times to watch a movie, no longer exist, thus greatly affecting ticket sales.

He also notes that, nowadays, people aren’t watching cheap movies; they instead demand a certain level of production value. 

“With current prices and available options like Netflix, even the general B will have second thoughts, thus being more selective – what more with Class C?” One Facebook user asked.

Another wrote that, nowadays, tickets cost at least PHP 325 in large malls, and more than PHP 200. 

Others also pointed out that, given the minimum wage in Metro Manila being PHP 610 to 645, and with provincial rates being even lower, not many people have the luxury to watch films any time they want, instead opting to watch them on streaming services or pirate them online.

A call for accessibility 

Films are a beautiful thing, with many of them able to transcend language and cultural barriers, allowing people to feel emotions that they themselves can’t put into words.

Given that everything’s becoming more and more expensive, though, something as simple as film-watching is now seen as a luxury, which shouldn’t be the case. 

Life is hard enough as it is, and as much as possible, humans try their best to find beauty in the world around them. 

While it is understandable that it is impossible to make all movies completely free, there should be accessible avenues in the country that provide free film viewing for the public on a regular basis.

Aside from giving the public access to these works, a larger audience will also be able to tell these stories, sharing them with their friends. As Reyes said, one of the biggest ways films garner popularity nowadays is through word of mouth.

What better way to spread the word than to find more avenues to give access to a larger audience?