Here’s a fun movie fact: When Oppenheimer won the Best Picture Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards, it became the first time since 2004, when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won, that a top-grossing film of the year took home the Best Picture statuette. Oppenheimer opened in July of 2023 alongside Barbie. While Barbie is the #1 highest-grossing film of 2023, Oppenheimer ranks third, grossing just under $962 million worldwide – Barbie topped the year with $1.445 billion, followed by The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The point here is that people are returning to cinemas in droves, both abroad and here in the Philippines. Last December’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) was a big success after the lean pandemic years, prompting several of our SM Cinemas to extend the run of a number of MMFF entries. They were no longer in a hurry to shift back to Hollywood films.
So, it’s really a matter of product. Give the public an entertaining time, and they’re ready to revert back to movie watching as a shared, community experience. Whether it’s a new horror film, action adventure, or comedy, movies are that much more enjoyable when shared with others, experiencing the reactions of the audience around you. You just don’t get that when watching at home.
And SM Cinema, always ahead of the curve, knows this. That’s why several of your favorite neighborhood SM Cinemas have been renovated and technologically upgraded. They now challenge the best cinemas found anywhere in the world. New plush seats, higher-resolution equipment, and improved sound quality make the experience even more immersive. Plus, the ticket buying areas and refreshment stands have all received a makeover as well. It’s well worth a visit if you haven’t been lately.
SM Cinema now features ultra-comfortable seating, high-definition visuals, and enhanced sound for the ultimate cinematic journey.
Snack in style with revamped concession stands offering a wider selection of treats and refreshments.
Get ready, because the blockbusters of 2024 are on their way. Dune Part Two was just the first salvo. On Black Saturday, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opens, followed by horror with The First Omen the following week! The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt (who coincidentally starred in Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively), opens May 1st and has received rave reviews, blending rom-com with action and featuring great chemistry between the leads. Ryan Reynolds stars in the child-friendly IF (Imaginary Friends), debuting mid-May, alongside the latest installment in the fabled Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, explores Paul Atreides’ desert destiny.
Ryan Gosling returns as a washed-up stuntman pulled back into the action to find a missing movie star in The Fall Guy.
Ryan Reynolds and a young girl team up to see forgotten imaginary friends in IF.
For fans of K-Drama and K-Horror, SM Cinema is the place to watch The Wild, Exhuma, Demon Dog, Citizen of a Kind, and Midnight Sun. Anime fans will be delighted to hear that Skye Hoshi: Anime Girl and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom are SM exclusives!
Ex-con Song Woo-chul (Park Sung-woong) walks a tightrope between gangsters and a new life in Kim Bong-han’s Korean crime thriller The Wild.
A chilling excavation disrupts a peaceful village in the Korean horror Exhuma.
A comic store employee joins forces with an anime character who leaps off the poster in Skye Hoshi: Anime Girl.
One year after the battles of Destiny, Kira Yamato returns in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom to fight for lasting peace.
There’s so much to look forward to movie-wise in the months ahead, and we haven’t even talked about Filipino productions such as Sunny, Under Parallel Skies, G! LU! (Go La Union), and Men Are From QC, Women are from Alabang.
Thai actor Win Metawin and Filipina actress Janella Salvador star in a Hong Kong romance, Under Parallel Skies, where a search for the past leads to love.
G! LU! (Go La Union) brings the sun-soaked barkada adventure to the big screen.
See you at your neighborhood SM Cinema, Director’s Club, or IMAX theater.
