MMFF 2026 ticket prices cap at P299; first 4 films announced

MANILA, Philippines —  The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2026 ticket prices will have a cap of P299, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Don Artes said yesterday.

“Dahil po sa inyong kahilingang mga manonood ng pelikulang Pilipino, nagkasundo po kami na ang presyo po ng ticket sa sinehan ay hindi po bababa ng P299,” Artes said during the announcement of MMFF’s first four films.

“Ito po ay during festival period lamang po at ito po ay maximum. So, pwede pong bumaba roon sa P299, lalung-lalo na po roon sa mga probinsya, pwede pa pong P250 or P200, depende po sa desisyon ng CEAP at producers,” he added.

San Juan and Mandaluyong will host the film festival this year, and the annual event will also be expanded to Bacolod, with their city mayors Francis Zamora, Menchie Abalos and Greg Gasataya present at the event.

This year also marks the return of the student short film category, which is open to both high school and college students nationwide.

Participants are required to submit a five-minute short film. Those who will be selected are screened alongside the eight official MMFF entries.

Winning student short film entries will receive P100,000 on top of a P20,000 development grant and P50,000 for production, as funded by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP).

The first four films were also announced, which were chosen based on technical and creative merit, commercial value, global appeal and infusion of Filipino values.

The first film announced was “2nd Miracle In Cell No. 7,” led by Aga Muhlach and directed by Nuel Crisostomo Naval, with Viva Films as producer.

It is a prequel of the MMFF 2019 entry, “Miracle In Cell No. 7,” which will unveil Lito’s (Aga) past encounters with his future cellmates.

Zig Dulay is back in the director’s chair with GMA Pictures’ “Amir,” starring Argus Aspiras, Dennis Trillo, Will Ashley and Glaiza de Castro.

Amir (Argus) possesses an extraordinary gift of seeing mythical creatures, which serves as a portal to another world.

Dennis will play the role of Amir’s father, Ali, and they embark on a journey fighting for survival as darkness plagues their village.

Regal Entertainment will present a new horror film titled “Haunted Carnival,” with the ensemble cast led by James Reid, Fyang Smith, Julia Barretto, John Arcilla and Maricel Soriano.

Directed by Joey De Guzman, the film follows a team of amateur ghost hunters who enter a mysterious 1980s carnival as they fight for survival.

Completing the list is “The grEATest SHOWdown,” led by noontime hosts Vic Sotto of “Eat Bulaga” and Vice Ganda of “It’s Showtime.”

The film will be directed by Jun Robles Lana under Star Cinema, The IdeaFirst Company, M-Zet Productions and APT Entertainment.

In “The grEATest SHOWdown,” Queenie (Vice Ganda) and Kingston (Vic Sotto) are arch-enemies used to sabotaging each other, but they will be thrust into a situation that compels them to work together.

Vice and Vic were also present at the event to tease everyone about what the latter can expect from their film.

“Kailangan namin magsanib-pwersa para ibigay ang tawa, halakhak, at kaligayahan na kailangan ng mga Pilipino. Hardcore, todo-comedy ang gagawin naming dalawa,” Vice said.

“Ang pelikulang ito ay magbibigay ligaya sa taong bayan. Magpapasaya tayo at magpapatawa tayo. Sinisiguro rin namin na marami kayong mapupulot na aral,” Vic added.