Local film production has declined, with producers struggling to cope with rising costs. Through it all, a platform has seemed to crack the code of success: VMX.
The streaming service by Viva Entertainment continues to dominate the Filipino film industry with its own brand of erotic — bomba, some might say — filmmaking. The platform has a kind of success even the mainstream cannot match nowadays.
‘Pito-Pito’ and the History of Bomba
To fully understand VMX, you have to go down the long and winding road of bomba history. But since that’s a meaty topic in itself, all you have to know is that what VMX is doing now is not new. Soft-porn filmmaking in the country has persisted and transformed in many ways that one could say it’s ingrained in our cinematic culture. Viva is a company that dipped its fingers in bomba before. It understands that controversy and sex sell. And, to a world lazing off at home, did they sell.
How does VMX sustain its continuous production of content? First, there’s a concept in the local film industry called “pito-pito.” It means to finish a feature film within an average of seven days for production then another seven days for post-production with a measly budget of about a couple million pesos. It is practiced by film studios in the past, most prominently by Lily Monteverde’s Regal Films in the ‘90s, to maximize profits amid economic crises. Viva also made its fair share of pito-pito films around this time. It’s a flawed practice, as film workers tend to be exploited by such crunch times, but VMX continues this practice today for a fast turnout of films.
Second, VMX films do not prioritize outlandish set pieces but sex scenes. If you’d count sex scenes as you watch, five is the average number per film, which takes about a third of its runtime. This puts production costs to a minimum, as such scenes do not cost much to stage. All you typically need are a room, mood lights, and willing actors.
Third, VMX recoups production costs with its large subscriber base and tiered subscription rates. The platform caters to a niche but dedicated market. In an interview with The Philippine Star in June 2024, Viva Entertainment president and CEO Vincent del Rosario said that VMX surpassed 11 million subscribers worldwide. He disclosed that it’s been popular in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, and India. It later surpassed 12 million subscribers by the end of the year.
a fraught history with censorship
These three points are crucial to VMX’s consistency of releases. The quality of their films, however, leaves a lot to be desired. But is prestige ever a concern? In the same interview, del Rosario admitted that said films are the “driver” of VMX’s subscription, even though the streaming service carries a sizable amount of non-adult content.
Because we’re in a conservative country, bomba films have a fraught history with censorship. Although it has persevered in spite of, or sometimes even flourished because of it. The key difference this time is the advent of streaming. VMX operates in the digital realm, which means state actors that cracked down on bomba films before have no jurisdiction over it. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has to resort to compromises with VMX while it has free rein to create content it desires. These compromises include self-regulation by VMX and its parent company, Viva Entertainment, as part, but not exclusive to, the “Responsableng Panonood” campaign of the MTRCB.
It understood that theatrical release, with exorbitant amusement taxes attached to it, isn’t the be-all end-all measure of success anymore.
In December 2024, VMX got Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s attention. Estrada called out the streaming channel for openly carrying “pornographic” content and being easily accessible by children. The MTRCB answered in January 2025, echoing the fact that it has no jurisdiction over the streaming channel. Furthermore, in an interview on a talk show in August 2024, actress and “Vivamax Queen” Angeli Khang revealed she was “taken advantage of” by a male co-star during filming. This shows that concerns over the safety and sexualization of persons in that sphere are very much not unfounded.
The Business of Smut
Amidst controversy, VMX makes efforts to “legitimize” itself to film snobs and puritans. Vivamax rebranded itself to VMX in 2024, expanding its library of non-adult content. As stars like AJ Raval and Khang became popular, it has continued to sign fresh talent and “serious” directors like Brillante Mendoza, Joel Lamangan, and even National Artist Ricky Lee for projects on the platform.
The first VMX Film Festival is set to launch later this year. Seven finalists were each given a P2 million grant. The loglines of these chosen films sound like your typical VMX film, focused on eroticism. While it is very early to judge the festival on its originality compared to typically produced VMX films, one hopes the festival could actually give freedom to young visionaries and become truly revolutionary. Admittedly, there are a few gems found in VMX every now and then. A lot show promise when it comes to being eclectic genre joints. The problem is not because VMX films are smut; it’s because most are uninspiring smut.
VMX took advantage of the wild, wild west that is streaming. It understood that theatrical release, with exorbitant amusement taxes attached to it, isn’t the be-all end-all measure of success anymore. It threads in the fringes of the industry, cultivating its own ecosystem. VMX also isn’t afraid to give odd concepts and young directors a shot, even if their own model of storytelling constrains them.
When you think of Philippine cinema’s future, what shape do you envision it in? VMX wasn’t the first of its kind, nor will it be the last.
This story appears on The Guilty Pleasure of Showbiz Gossip Issue, available now on sarisari.shopping.
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