PEP: High School Musical 3 grosses P31.6M in RP

MANILA, Oct. 27 - Walt Disney Pictures' High School Musical 3: Senior Year claims the No. 1 spot at the Philippine box-office. The third installment of the Walt Disney franchise had a nationwide three-day (October 24-26) opening weekend gross of P31.6 million in 129 screens nationwide. This was announced today by Victor Cabrera, managing director of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International, which distributed the film. Families, teens, college students and yuppies propelled HSM 3 to record-breaking heights, posting the all-time biggest opening for a live-action musical in the country, outpacing previous holder (and another Disney title) Enchanted by a whopping 168% at P18.8 million. The feat becomes even more incredible with the fact that HSM 3 smashed the record with only a three-day opening, compared to Enchanted with five. Senior Year's opening also now ranks as the fifth highest ever for a Disney-branded live-action feature, after Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, National Treasure: Book Secrets and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl in that order. High School Musical 3 features new songs and exciting dance numbers that were designed to take maximum advantage of the big screen (the first two HSM movies were originally made for the Disney Channel). The Top 20 cinemas that registered the biggest box-office receipts are Trinoma (P2.03 million), Power Plant (P1.58 million), Alabang Town Center (P1.46 million), SM Mall of Asia (P1.39 million), SM North EDSA (P1.34 million), SM Megamall (P1.14 million), Glorietta 4 (P1.07 million), Shangri-la (P1.01 million), Greenhills (P996,328) and Greenbelt III (P967,222). Rounding up the list are Gateway Cineplex (P775,220), Robinson's Ermita (P739, 374), Ayala Center Cebu (P707,456), SM Cinema Cebu (P700,321), Robinson's Galleria (P646,269), SM Southmall (P635,493), SM San Lazaro (P624,460), Festival (P601,229), Eastwood (P571,569) and SM Fairview (P549,672). Senior Year brought to the big-screen the all-singing, all-dancing exploits of the clean-cut captain of the Wildcats, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), beautiful brainiac Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) and scheming rich girl Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale). In the film, high school seniors Troy and Gabriella face the prospect of separation as they head off to different colleges. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes, and fears about the future. Still screening across the Philippines, High School Musical 3: Senior Year is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International. - Philippine Entertainment Portal