FDCP Chair Jose Javier Reyes supports move to lower prices of movie tickets

August 25 ------ Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman Jose Javier Reyes expressed support for lowering the prices of movie tickets to help lure Filipino audiences back to cinemas, citing the recent extended runs of "Sunshine" and "Lasting Moments."

He stressed that the matter remains a business decision which producers must bring up in earnest dialogue with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP). "This is what I like the producers to think about: “Yung limang piso sa bulsa mo, mas may saysay kesa sa limang daang piso sa panaginip mo,” he stated. (The five pesos in your pocket are worth more than the five hundred pesos in your dreams.)

The FDCP chair pointed to recent box-office surprises as evidence that Filipino audiences will return to cinemas if films are priced more affordably. “ For example, there's 'Sunshine.' After the first week, tatlong sinehan na lang dapat paglabasan niyan. E, sumipa noong weekend! Umabot pa ng third week.” (After the first week, it should have been shown in just three theaters, but wow, it picked up that weekend, and it reached its third week.) “Another example, who would have thought 'Lasting Moments' starring Sue Ramirez and JM De Guzman. Nag-work siya. May third week pa," Reyes noted. ( It reached the third week.) He added: “Example din, 'Food Delivery.' Who'd want to watch a documentary? Pero ngayon, pinag-uusapan, di ba?” (Another example is Food Delivery. Who would want to watch a documentary? But now, it’s being talked about, right?)

Local movie ticket prices can reach as high as ₱400 to ₱ 500 per screening, an amount that remains a luxury for ordinary Filipino families. They would rather subscribe to streaming platforms, which can give access to hundreds of movies at a fraction of the cost. But in the case of 'Sunshine' and 'Lasting Moments', tickets were priced at the ₱230 to ₱270 range, a strategy that drew crowds.

Reyes said he's even pondered on the mystery of why the middle class can splurge thousands of pesos on a concert or a play but withhold spending on movies. “Bakit sa theater, gagasta ka ng libo-libo para manood ng isang play, pero sa sinehang 400 pesos, parang inaagawan ka na ng buhay. Kasi, walang streaming ang play,di ba?

Hindi mo mahihintay. At saka, iba yung crowd ng Samsung Theater sa crowd ng Robinsons Galleria. Magkaiba.” “Sana, tuluy-tuloy na ang pagbaba ng ticket price sa sinehan. Pero hindi naman nangangahulugang tuluy-tuloy ang pagbaba, na kailangang babaan din ang kalidad ng ginagawa mong pelikula,” Reyes pointed out.

When asked if government subsidies could help reduce ticket prices, Reyes clarified that the FDCP cannot dictate prices. “Number one is we cannot intervene directly with the price of tickets kasi private sector yan. Not even DTI can tell movie houses to lower the tickets,” he explained. Instead, the FDCP provides grants to help producers fund films, easing the financial burden. “We are in constant conversation with CEAP (Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines). I think what is important is that not only is FDCP in coordination with CEAP, but also the producers have a good relationship with CEAP. I don't think there is anything that cannot be resolved through a healthy conversation and a very justified kind of discussion and deliberation,” Reyes told Manila Bulletin.

Source: mb.com.ph