The portent of things to come in December for ABS-CBN Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) happened when ABS-CBN President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Content Officer Charo Santos-Concio announced last November 20 at the Q & A with Filipino actor Piolo Pascual at Asia Society Museum that for the first time, Filipino films have broken into Europe’s mainstream film circuit with the carriage of TFC@theMovies’ A Second Chance by Vue Entertainment, a leader in the premium entertainment cinema sector in the UK. Vue International is the world’s largest cinema group outside of the U.S.
On December 5 and 6, ABS-CBN achieved a Philippine cinema historical first when A Second Chance was screened on Vue West End Leicester Square, Vue Westfield Stratford City, Vue Shepherd’s Bush, Vue Birmingham Star City and Vue Leeds The Light.
The result? “The management of Vue was so pleased with the turnout for this Filipino movie that they decided to extend its run for another weekend,” shared ABS-CBN EMEA Managing Director Kai V. Rodriguez. “This is an achievement that Filipinos around the world should be proud of. A Filipino film just had the honor of being shown at Vue Cinemas and moreover, was given an extended weekend run on December 12 and 13! We just made history.”
But the celebration for ABS-CBN EMEA does not stop there.
In the Middle East, A Second Chance started showing on December 3 in 21 theaters in UAE, five in Qatar, two in Kuwait, three in Bahrain, and two in Oman. After opening day, ABS-CBN EMEA received a congratulatory note from Gulf Films Chief Executive Officer Selim El-Azar for a record-breaking opening day at the box office, adding that the movie was on pace to become the top grossing film in the weekend. It eventually did, surpassing the box office takes of Hollywood films last weekend.
“The UAE comprises 85 percent of the movie theater market in the Middle East. But more than that, just as Variety reported three days ago, it has earned a reputation as the international hub for different types of productions, especially hi-tech ones. On the other end, in more conservative Middle East countries where alcohol is forbidden and there are no night clubs, cinema is the public’s favorite form of entertainment. Thus, it is very clear how important the film industry is in the region. For a foreign, English-subtitled Filipino film like A Second Chance which just focuses on relationships with no special effects or gigantic million-dollar production budgets and casts, to achieve the milestones we just did proves the strength in numbers of the Filipino market here and the growing international appeal of Filipino films that transcends cultural and language borders. To me, that is both the story and opportunity behind all this,” said Rodriguez.
For a related story, visit http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/entertainment/v3/12/04/15/a-second-chance-top-grossing-din-sa-middle-east
To check the movie schedules of A Second Chance in Europe and Middle East, visit https://www.facebook.com/TFCEurope/ and https://tl-ph.facebook.com/TFCMiddleEast