‘Hello, Love, Again’ Philippines Romance Sets Box Office Records in North American Debut

As a long-time enthusiast of international cinema with a particular soft spot for Filipino films, I must say that the success of “Hello, Love, Again” is nothing short of heartwarming! Having followed the career of Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards since their early days on Philippine television, it’s truly remarkable to see them reach new heights with this romantic drama.

The Filipino romantic drama “Hello, Love, Again,” co-produced by ABS-CBN Films and GMA Pictures, made history with a remarkable opening weekend, raking in $2.4 million in North American cinemas. This impressive figure now stands as a fresh record for Philippine cinema in this region.

The follow-up to the 2019 movie “Hello, Love, Goodbye” has outperformed expectations significantly. In just its opening weekend, it earned more than the entire North American box office revenue of its predecessor, which was $1.99 million. Released collaboratively by Abramorama and AJMC, this film holds the record for the broadest release yet for a Filipino production, being screened in 248 cinemas throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In a fresh twist, the romantic movie starring Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards showed impressive earnings per screen of approximately $9,722. The plot revolves around Joy (portrayed by Bernardo) and Ethan (Richards), who find themselves reunited in Canada, five years after their separation in Hong Kong. As they grapple with the changes life has brought them, they work to reignite their relationship.

Under the direction of Cathy Garcia-Sampana, who previously led the first movie, “Hello, Love, Again” is a screenplay penned by Carmi Raymundo and Crystal S. San Miguel. They collaborated with Olivia Lamasan to create the story upon which this film is based. Kookai Labayen served as the producer, while Kriz Gazmen, Anette Valdes, and Carlo Katigbak took on executive producer roles.

AJMC (Amorette Jones Media Consulting) devised a marketing approach that aimed at Filipino-American demographics, but also broadened its scope to include Asian-Americans, Hispanics, and the general public. The campaign was enacted using tailored social media content for North American audiences, along with leveraging the fan bases of key figures, and collaborations with ABS-CBN’s TFC and Cinema One platforms.

Evan Saxon, who serves as both president and head of international distribution at Abramorama, stated that the film ‘Hello, Love, Again’ has made history by being the highest-earning Filipino movie ever, with an unprecedented screening in North America. This could make it the highest-grossing Filipino film released in this region to date. Abramorama is proud of its collaboration with ABS-CBN on this groundbreaking release. Under Joe Garel’s leadership and a unique data-driven distribution approach, we managed to achieve outstanding earnings and per-screen averages. This success demonstrates the strong potential for expanding cinema audiences through diverse and event-focused content, as it showcases the power of an audience that may have been underestimated by our exhibition partners. This achievement emphasizes the vast opportunities for enlarging cinema’s viewership through multicultural and special occasion-oriented content.

Kriz Gazmen, head of ABS-CBN Films, expressed excitement about presenting ‘Hello, Love, Again’ to audiences in the U.S. and Canada. With its powerful themes of cultural identity, love, and self-discovery, this release marks an important step for us. Our joint marketing strategies have allowed us to share this story with a wide range of people, enhancing its status as a culturally relevant moment.

2024-11-18 14:16

‘Hello, Love, Again’ Philippines Romance Sets Box Office Records in North American Debut

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