THE METRO Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2023 entry “Rewind” has set a new record as the highest-grossing Filipino film in terms of Philippine domestic sales, Star Cinema announced.
On Wednesday, reports stated that “Rewind,” top billed by real-life couple Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, earned a total of P815 million domestic sales.
This surpassed the record of P691 million local box office sales set by the Kathryn Bernardo-Alden Richards starrer “Hello, Love, Goodbye” in 2019.
As of 3 p.m. of January 17, the ABS-CBN’s film production and distribution outfit revealed on its social media accounts that “Rewind” has raked in a total gross of P845 million worldwide.
The movie was shown in over 300 cinemas in the Philippines, United States, Canada, Guam, and Saipan, according to Star Cinema.
“#SalamatLods! Damang dama namin ang greatest love mo!” it wrote in the caption.
“Rewind” now aims to exceed “Hello, Love, Goodbye” as the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time with global ticket sales of over P880 million.
Directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, the film centers on John (played by Dantes) and Mary (portrayed by Rivera) whose marriage is on the rocks as John’s personality and priorities change through the years.
The couple engages in confrontation, leading to a tragic accident that took Mary’s life and made John desperate to go back to the past to make up with his family.
The tearjerker film was made in collaboration with APT Entertainment and AgostoDos Media. It began screening in local cinemas on December 25, along with other nine MMFF entries.
The theatrical run for the MMFF entries in the country was supposed to end on January 7 but was extended until January 14.
Thanksgiving party
The cast and crew of “Rewind” held a Thanksgiving party on Wednesday night to celebrate the movie’s success.
In her speech during the event, Cruz-Alviar thanked everyone who helped her bring “Rewind” to life.
“This is supposed to be done in 2019, as Sir Jojo said, but the right time and the right showing was right now, and it is the time when we all needed it,” said the filmmaker.
She added, “People need a good cry and this is the best time for ‘Rewind.’”
This year’s edition of the MMFF saw many Filipinos flocking to cinemas. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) earlier reported that the 2023 edition of the MMFF garnered P1.069 billion as of January 7, breaking its P1.061 billion record in 2018.
With this, Dantes hoped that the MMFF entries would be the beginning of a more successful Philippine film industry.
“Through this film, and also through the nine other beautiful films, eh mas sumigla pa ang industry, na sana hindi lang dito sa Metro Manila Film Festival,” said the lead actor.
