Kim vs. Bong
Edgar O. Cruz ( STIR ) 08.11.09

The Metro Manila Film Festival fever has not started that’s why the Who will be MMFF’s topgrosser star/s? POLL got only 3,781 votes in its one week run. Winner is Angelica Panganiban and Kim Chui tandem with almost 100% of the votes. It sure shows Kim fans are reliable when it comes to supporting their idol. This is surprising since she does not have Gerald Anderson as love team partner.

But this result contradicts STIR’s belief that franchise movies usually outgrosses all other films in the MMFF. What’s a franchise movie? Films with sequels like Tanging Ina, Panday, Mano Po, Shake Rattle & Roll, Enteng Kabisote, Kasal, Kasalo, Kasali, etc. Due their built-in demand built through the years of screenings, they do well at the box office.

If I’m going to pick which among the shortlist will be topgrosser, it’s Bong Revilla and Iza Calzado’s Panday. Although director Mark Reyes is not known as a blockbuster director, Bong’s movies are always in the filmfest’s high end. Besides, Panday’s biggest selling factor is being a franchise movie. If Mark can pull off coming up with an exciting movie, it’s Bong who’ll be topgrosser.

I have not quite figured out how Star Cinema decided on the Angelica-Kim tandem in I Love You...Goodbye. They’re untested at the box office like Gabby Concepcion and Derek Ramsay while Lorna Tolentino has an unfavorable record. It would have been better if it fielded Ai Ai Delas Alas and Erap Estrada’s Ang Tanging Pamilya as directed by Wenn Deramas. I know why it did not. Erap’s running in 2010 and this disqualifies him from joining the forthcoming MMFF.