Cheaper movie tickets, not new taxes, industry leaders urge gov’t

National

BRINGING Filipinos back to movie theaters starts with making tickets more affordable, two film industry leaders told lawmakers as they opposed a proposed additional charge on cinema admissions.

Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chair Jose Maria “Joey” Reyes and filmmaker Carlos Siguion-Reyna urged the government to find alternative funding sources for a proposed National Film Commission, saying additional charges could undermine efforts to draw audiences back to cinemas.

Their appeal was made during a Senate hearing on three bills seeking to establish the commission. Senate Bill No. 479 proposes a P2 levy on every movie ticket sold nationwide to fund the body for 20 years.

Senator Robin Padilla, a former actor who chairs the Senate committee on public information and mass media, asked Reyes about the proposed levy.

“You know, senator, ticket prices should actually be reduced and not raised,” Reyes said, stressing that the government should explore other ways to finance the commission instead of charging moviegoers more.

Siguion-Reyna, a member of the board of trustees of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, echoed the call, saying the industry should avoid additional ticket charges and pursue price reductions instead.

In Metro Manila, movie tickets currently cost an average of around P275 for Filipino films and P390 to P450 for foreign productions. Prices may be higher depending on the theater’s location and screening format.

Ticket affordability drew public criticism during the December 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), when netizens complained on social media about what they considered excessive prices.

Jun Robles Lana, director of MMFF entry “Call Me Mother,” said a family of four would need at least P1,500 to watch movies together, warning that high ticket prices could price ordinary Filipinos out of the festival and turn cinema from a shared cultural experience into a privilege accessible mainly to the middle class.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Romando Artes responded to the complaints by saying the agency would “seriously revisit” ticket pricing for future MMFF editions.

Reyes has also raised concerns about the industry’s tax burden. At a February 2024 Metro Manila Council meeting on ticket prices and other industry issues, he cited amusement tax, value-added tax and income tax as costs borne by producers.

“A producer needs to pay three types of taxes for each film, including 10 percent amusement tax, together with other taxes such as value-added tax and income tax, making us the mostly heavily taxed movie industry in the world,” he said in a report by Inquirer.net.(MyTVCebu)