The Filipino audience has spoken: “A Very Good Girl” is a very good film. Based on box office returns, anyway.
The Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon-starrer has earned more than P100 million less than two weeks after it opened in theaters, film company Star Cinema announced on Monday, October 10.
“Thank you for making a very good choice to get our local cinemas up and running again. Let us keep up the Philo-menal support for our local films,” it said in an Instagram post.
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“Philo-menal” is a reference to Philo, the name of the character Kathryn plays in the movie.
The post bears a photo wiith the text: “Maraming salamat po! Over P100M million as of October 10, 2023.”
The film’s director Petersen Vargas commented on the Star Cinema Instagram post, thanking those who watched supported “A Very Good Girl.”
In a post on his Instagram account, Vargas said: “100,000,000 THANK YOUs — I wanna hug every1 who came to see #AVeryGoodGirl in the cinemas.”
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“A Very Good Girl” opened in theaters on September 27 in over 250 cinemas in the Philippines.
The film’s box office gross may indicate Filipino moviegoers’ interest in the “new era” of Star Cinema, a film company known mostly for releasing romance drama and romantic comedy films.
Its 2019 film “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” a romance movie that stars Kathryn and actor Alden Richards, is the country’s highest-grossing Filipino movie.
While “A Very Good Girl’s” box office showing in the Philippines is impressive, a report claims that the film’s screenings in the US aren’t as successful.
“Mukhang hindi maganda ang resulta ng screening ng A Very Good Girl sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng USA,” writes Gorgy Rula for Pilipino Star Ngayon.
Rula said that based on the anecdotes he received from his sources, Kathryn and Dolly canceled their supposed personal appearance at a theater in Cerritos, California because of poor audience attendance.
The film opened in US theaters via limited release on October 6. It held its Hollywood premiere night at The Silver Screen, Pacific Design Theater in Los Angeles, California on October 4.
Filipino-American celebrities, including drag queen Manila Luzon and influencer Bretman Rock, attended the event.
The Hollywood premier of “A Very Good Girl” pic.twitter.com/rok8PZgBcg
— Manila Luzon (@manilaluzon) October 8, 2023
Many are hoping that other Filipino films can replicate the box office success of “A Very Good Girl.”
Alden — Kathryn’s co-star in “Hello, Love, Goodbye” — is starring in the “Five Breakups and a Romance,” which will be released later this month. —Chuck Smith
