Showbiz personalities react to low 2021 MMFF turnout

After almost two years, cinemas have finally re-opened in time for the 47th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) screening.

The annual festival has been a staple in Pinoy Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, this year the turnout has been fairly low.

On social media, several showbiz personalities expressed their opinion on the low number of moviegoers in this year's MMFF.

Director Joey Reyes caught the attention of many Pinoy viewers with his Facebook post, relating several possible reasons of low MMFF turnout.

Aside from the absence of happy family-oriented movies, Direk Joey also pointed out that Filipinos have learned to adapt to digital format.

"Matapos ang isang taon at sampung buwan ng pangangamba, nag-iba na tayo sa kinagawian natin," he said.

On the other hand, entertainment writer and MMFF jury member Noel Ferrer answered comments about the MMFF on his Instagram post. One of these was the ticket price hike on cinemas.

He wrote, "Mahal daw ang tiket. Nagtaas ng 10 to 40 pesos ang ilang sinehan. Ranging from 320 to 345 para sa regular screening tickets. 450 naman para sa mga premium/deluxe cinemas. Tight budget daw talaga. [Let's give some leeway po sa dagdag na expenses sa disinfection at sanitation pati na sa pagkukumpuni ng mga nasirang parts ng sinehan dahil halos 2 taon ding hindi nagamit.]."

Despite the negative feedback on this year's movie festival, Noel still rejoices at the fact that cinemas have now opened and things are slowly getting back to normal. He also encouraged the public to support local movies, especially the MMFF.

"The fact na nakapag MMFF tayo despite the pandemic, ay isang malaking achievement na at magandang unang hakbang sa pagbabalik ng kumpiyansa ng mga tao at producers na nandito tayo at nakasuporta sa industriyang naipatigil, naisantabi, at hindi itinuring na 'essential' ng halos dalawang taon."

Veteran talent manager Lolit Solis share the sentiments of Noel and likewise encouraged the public to bring back the love for Pinoy movies, especially the MMFF.

Film and television authorities believe that the low MMFF turnout is still a repercussion of the pandemic. However, many are hopeful that the cinema industry will bounce back soon as things return to normal.

Meanwhile, here are the MMFF movies you can watch on cinemas until January 7, 2022: