Is it, indeed, the Philippine movie event of 2023 thus far?
Star Cinema announced o that “A Very Good Girl” — the film starring Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon — has earned P75 million at the box office as of 12 noon, Friday, October 6.
“We feel your undying Philo-menal support for #AVeryGoodGirl,” the film company wrote on its social network platforms.
The company’s social media announcement further described “A Very Good Girl” as the “Philippines’ biggest and most talked about movie of 2023,” one that ushers in the “new era” of Star Cinema.
“Philo-menal” is a reference to Philo, the name of the character Kathryn plays in the movie.
“A Very Good Girl” opened in local cinemas on September 27. According to Star Cinema, the film earned P10 million on its opening day and P40 million during its opening weekend.
Entertainment website PEP noted that a P10 million opening gross for “A Very Good Girl” means that the film sold approximately 32,000 tickets on its first day in theaters. Movie tickets in local theaters cost around P350 to P450 on average.
By that same computation, it can be surmised that “A Very Good Girl” has sold around 225,000 tickets since it opened in theaters last week.
Kathryn expressed her joy over the success of the film — her first since the 2019 romance hit “Hello, Love, Goodbye.”
“Overall, of course. (I’m happy). Happy ako sa performance niya, sa pagtanggap ng tao sa kanya, kung paano siya pinagusapan,” she told ABS-CBN.
The film will premiere in select theaters in the US today, October 6. It held its Hollywood premiere at The Silver Screen, Pacific Design Theater in Los Angeles, California on October 4.
“A Very Good Girl” is Star Cinema’s first film to be released theatrically this year and a sort of introduction to a “new era” for the film company that is known for mostly releasing romance drama and romantic comedy films. Its film “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” a romance movie that stars Kathryn and actor Alden Richards, is the country’s highest-grossing Filipino movie.
Kathryn is set to star in “Elena 1944,” a period film based on a Palanca Award-winning screenplay by Patrick Valencia, to be directed by Olivia Lamasan. —Chuck Smith