Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) spokesperson Noel Ferrer insists the yearly shindig is doing relatively well despite reports of supposed low turnout during its opening day.
Taking to Facebook, Noel cited cinema operators as stating the Dec. 25 opening of the festival has been their highest grossing day yet.
He noted: “Not even the big Hollywood films (like 'Eternals') are able to approximate the gross that MMFF 2021 has generated.
“In fact, the first day gross alone this year covered 1/3 of the total MMFF online gross (in its entire run) last year.”
He believes the numbers will even get better, maintaining, “Sa first 3-4 days pa lang, puwede nang malampasan ang total gross last year.”
Amid ongoing fears relating COVID-19, Noel stressed the need to simply bite the bullet.
“Sa Hollywood ganito rin, hindi maiaalis ang takot at pangamba -- kahit saan na nag-reopen ang sinehan ay ganito,” he said. “The important thing is we took the challenge -- and we really had to take that painful first step -- because we really have to start somewhere.”
He then went on to ask for continued support of the festival in the coming days.
“Kung sa mga nasalanta ng Odette may kagyat tayong ayuda, ang industriya ng pelikula ay binagyo at dumapa rin. Ang hinihinging suporta ay ang pagbabalik sa mga sinehan para panoorin ang mga likhang sariling atin. Ito ang tulong/ayuda na inaasahan sa bawa’t isa. Hindi lang ito para sa kabuhayan ng mga tao kundi ang patuloy na paglikha ng sining -- sa gitna ng pandemya.”
“Ipagpatuloy natin ang suporta at pagmamahal sa pelikulang Pilipino. Sa huli’t huli, sino nga ba ang magtutulungan kundi tayo tayo rin naman, di ba?”