First, there were the experiments. The thinking was that, now that people were exposed to different kinds of storytelling through streaming platforms, they would look for films that were a little “edgier.” So ABS-CBN Films hedged their bets on web series such as The House Arrest of Us (under Star Cinema) and Hello Stranger (under Black Sheep Productions). In 2021, more made-for-streaming films went to ABS-CBN’s live event platform KTX to experiment with pay-per-view. These included Princess DayaReese with Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber, and Love is Color Blind, Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano’s first movie as a love team called DonBelle. And when the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2021 came to theaters, ABS-CBN Film’s first cinematic release was the “unconventional” Love at First Stream by box office director Cathy Garcia-Sampana at the helm but with untested stars Daniela Stranner, Kaori Oinuma, Jeremiah Lisbo, and Anthony Jennings, produced in partnership with the streaming platform Kumu. No box office results were released, but Love at First Stream was one of the best films of the 2021 MMFF.
The following year, Star Cinema tried to test the interest in more romantic movies with the second DonBelle film, An Inconvenient Love, directed by Petersen Vargas. The young director went on to deliver two of the big box office draws of Star Cinema since 2020: A Very Good Girl (2023) with Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon, and Un/Happy For You (2024) with Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto.
But the studio’s biggest wins are the most recent highest-grossing Filipino films of all time: the MMFF entries Rewind (2023), the Catholic-core family drama with Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, and Vice Ganda’s first dramatic role in And the Breadwinner Is… (2024), which earned over P900 million and P460 million respectively. Hello, Love, Again (2024), a regular commercial release that marked the return of Bernardo and Alden Richards’ pairing, took home a whopping P1.6 billion.
It’s apparent that Star Cinema — not counting other ABS-CBN Film Production sub-studios such as Black Sheep and CineBro — is taking calculated steps more than any other commercial studio. In comparison, Viva Films has produced over 100 films in 2024 alone, many released on its streaming platforms such as VMX and Viva One. Rolling Stone Philippines talks to ABS-CBN Films Head Kriz Gazmen in this candid and exhaustive interview reflecting the state of Star Cinema’s production, the realities of theatrical releases, and what we can expect in the future.
Pre-pandemic, the biggest release was Hello, Love, Goodbye, which was then the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time. How was the film positioned in the market?
During our research on the stories of Filipinos abroad, one of the interesting stories was of the domestic workers in Hong Kong. During the ‘90s, noong time ng Anak ni Ate Vi [Vilma Santos], a lot of them were domestic helpers, [who were there] to provide for their family. ‘Yon ang end goal nila. Pero this time around, may mas mataas na silang aspirations: to move to Canada, or to other countries, to be a nurse, ganyan. So mayroon na ng self-actualization part. So that was what we wanted to capture sa Hello, Love, Goodbye. Thankfully, it resonated talaga.
After a series of KathNiel movies, Hello, Love, Goodbye was when Star Cinema started experimenting with love team pairings. Did you feel then that there was a growing interest in seeing these actors and actresses outside of their love teams?
Actually, it was a combination of so many factors. Una, the love teams at the time were still very strong. Up until now naman, super strong pa rin talaga ng concept of love teams in the Philippines. Except sometimes, we want to surprise the audience. Lalo na if kami, as creators, somehow mayroon na rin kaming stumbling block in developing a future project for a particular love team. Kasi kapag love team, usually nanggaling na sila sa so many projects, not just with the movies, but TV. Ang dami na nilang ginawa. ‘Pag ganoon, umaabot na rin kami sa point na feeling namin, “Na-exhaust na ba natin all kinds of stories [for] this particular love team?”
Sometimes, mayroon din silang request kung puwede bang gumawa ng pelikula outside of their love team? Not to abandon [it], but really for their growth as an actor.
So, I wouldn’t say the interest was waning during that time. It really was just about timing.
What was considered risky for Star Cinema during the pre-pandemic era?
You have to understand the movie landscape in the Philippines and the audiences talaga. More than the content, I think the main driver to the cinemas are the stars. ‘Yon talaga kasi ang binabayaran nila: star value. So, for Star Cinema during that time, anything that wasn’t proven, tried, and tested in the cinemas would be considered a risk. For example, a new pairing, a new actor, first movie. All that would be considered risky.
Second, I think all the genres that are not our staples. Horror is hit or miss kapag theatrical [release]. Somehow, during this time, mas may comfort kami kapag love stories ang ilalabas because we already know what the market is for that. Family dramas or comedies, comedies of Vice Ganda naman ang pinaka-fool-proof. The rest would all be considered risky.
Is there such a thing as a calculated risk at Star Cinema?
As much as gusto namin ng tried and tested na box office stars, we know that’s not going to be helpful for us. That’s not future- proofing us as a company. Even if meron kaming stable of box office stars — and to be honest, hindi ganoon karami ‘yon — alam naming we have to take risks and experiment on newer combinations and new stars kasi kailangan mo silang ma-test kung [bibilhin] sila ng tao o hindi.
The usual indicators to justify taking that calculated risk are: First, ang last television project ba nila is a success in terms of ratings? If yes, alam mong kahit papaano may audience na sila, may demand na.
Second, gaano kalaki ‘yong following nila, gaano sila kaingay sa social media? How can they generate buzz kapag nilabas namin ‘yong movie nila? Any artist that ABS-CBN or Star Magic pushes, hindi naman necessarily, bibigyan ka agad ng pelikula. Because we know that movies ang pinaka-risky [para] sa lahat ng actors. Kasi magkaroon ka lang ng isang flop… Sadly, may stigma na doon na, “Ay, unang pelikula niya nag-flop.” So, we want to make sure din that when we offer a movie to a new artist — first movie niya — kahit papaano, may nakikita naman kaming malaking potential for success.
Read the rest of this story in our second print issue. Available to purchase at sarisari.shopping. Get digital access to Rolling Stone Philippines magazines here.
