LOOK: ‘Praybeyt Benjamin 2′ Dominates MMFF Box Office Race

Chairman Francis Tolentino of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is expecting a 10% increase in ticket sales this year based on the turnout of viewers who went to theaters Thursday.

“Ang opening natin noon nakaraang taon ay P128 million,” said Tolentino in an media interview via DZMM.

“Ngayon po as of 3 p.m. ang tingin namin ay mahihigitan. Itong crowd kasi ngayon hindi alam na maaga ang bukas, may dadagsa pa. Ang tingin namin ay baka mahigitan pa ng 10 percent yung kinita noong nakaraang film festival.”

Although Tolentino did not divulge the official numbers, he said “The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin” is leading the box office as of 3 p.m. on Thursday.

“Ang number 1 po as of 3 p.m. kanina ay yung ‘Praybeyt Benjamin,’ ‘yung number 2 and number 3 neck-and-neck po ang labanan ng ‘Feng Shui 2′ at ang ‘My Big Bossing’s Adventures.’ Number 4 ay ‘yung ‘Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles,'” he said.

Vice Ganda’s “The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin” is dominating the box office race on its opening day of the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) on Christmas, ABS-CBN reported.

Other films battling on MMFF are “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo,” “English Only, Please,” “Magnum Muslim .357,” and “Shake, Rattle and Roll XV.”

The “Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin” is the 2014 sequel of the 2011 action-comedy hit “The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin.”

Tolentino said the tickets sales usually affect the placing of the films in the MMFF Awards.

The awards night will take place on December 27 at the Philippine International Convention Center.