The 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) broke record after gross receipts of the official 10 film entries reached historic P1.069 billion, breaking the MMFF 2018 record.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Romando Artes said the record-breaking earnings came from the films’ quality and new audience.

“We received reports that moviegoers watched multiple films while others watched films repeatedly,” Artes told reporters on Tuesday, January 9.

“Hopefully, we can sustain this beyond the festival so that our film producers can offer quality movies all year round. We also encourage filmmakers to create better films for the MMFF’s 50th edition,” he added.

The MMDA is reportedly preparing for the inaugural Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) which would screen the MMFF 2023 film entries in Los Angeles, California from January 29 to February 2.

“We at the MIFF intend to continue the wonderful momentum that was built up by MMFF, with the similar goal of uplifting and giving a bigger spotlight to Filipino cinema worldwide,” MIFF spokesperson Winston Emano said.