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GMA Pictures, formerly Cinemax Studios and GMA Films, is a film and television production company in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, established by
GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
in 1995. Its films include ''
Jose Rizal Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Gali ...
'', '' Muro Ami'', and '' Deathrow''.


Filmography


History


Background

GMA tested the movie waters by co-producing films with
Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to qual ...
. Among the movies that were co-produced were '' Ober Da Bakod: The Movie'', ''
Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
'' and ''Sana Dalawa ang Puso Ko''. Although not credited in the opening and closing credits of the movies, the network's logo appeared in the aforementioned movies' posters in theaters and newspaper ads.


1995–2000: Early years

In 1995, GMA launched its own film outfit as Cinemax Studios under the supervision of
Jimmy Duavit Gilberto "Jimmy" Roy Duavit Jr. (born October 16, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, philanthropist, producer, and writer. He is the president and chief operating officer of GMA Network Inc., one of the largest media networks in the Philippines. ...
and Butch Jimenez, with ''
Run Barbi Run ''Run Barbi Run'' is a 1995 Philippine comedy film directed by Tony Y. Reyes. Joey de Leon reprises his role as the titular character and is joined by Maricel Laxa and Eraserheads. It is third installment of the ''Barbi'' trilogy, which started ...
'' as its maiden movie. Later that year, Cinemax inked a co-production deal with
OctoArts Films OctoArts Films (also known as OctoArts Films International for foreign films) is a Filipino film production and distribution company founded in 1989 by Orly R. Ilacad. A veteran record producer, Ilacad only decided to establish the film company ...
in which OctoArts would distribute the movies in theaters nationwide, while Cinemax (through its mother network, GMA) would handle publicity and promotions of the movies for TV and radio. GMA Network holds the airing rights for those movies. Films co-produced with other production companies are distributed by Cinemax. In 1997, Cinemax began producing and distributing its own movies, beginning with ''Mga Bangka sa Tag-araw'' (later on known as ''
Sa Pusod ng Dagat ''Sa Pusod ng Dagat'' () is a 1998 Filipino film produced and directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. It stars Jomari Yllana with Chin Chin Gutierrez and Elizabeth Oropesa. The film was critically acclaimed in local and international film festivals. ...
'') and Indios (later on known as '' My Guardian Debil''). At this time, it partnered with sister companies Film Experts and Optima Digital for production and post-production of its movies respectively. In 1998, it changed its name to GMA Films after
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
's sister channel
Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...
entered the Southeast Asian market. The same year, GMA received critical and commercial success for ''Sa Pusod ng Dagat'' and ''
José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...
'', both produced and directed by
Marilou Diaz-Abaya Marilou Correa Diaz-Abaya (March 30, 1955 – October 8, 2012) was a Filipina multi-award winning film director. She was conferred the Order of National Artists of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022, she was the founder and pres ...
. GMA Films also produced ''
Muro-Ami Muro-ami or muroami is a fishing technique employed on coral reefs in Southeast Asia. It uses an encircling net together with pounding devices. These devices usually comprise large stones fitted on ropes that are pounded into the coral reefs. They ...
'' and '' Deathrow'', both which were entries at their respective MMFFs and also critically acclaimed. When Felipe Gozon took over GMA Network, GMA Films was placed on hiatus for about 4 years.


2004–2009: Comeback and breakthrough

In late 2004, GMA Films made a comeback with the beginning of production for the romantic movie '' Let the Love Begin''. It became the highest-grossing Valentine film in the Philippines when it released in February 2005. It later released other films that also became hits in the Philippine Box-office. In 2007, the award-winning film ''Ouija'' co-produced with
Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to qual ...
was supposed to be its first film to be released internationally. However, the scheduled overseas premieres in four U.S. cities (Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego) were cancelled. Only the one in New Jersey pushed through. The movie is titled ''Seance'' internationally. In 2009, GMA Films produced the reboot of the classic ''komiks'' novel Ang Panday in partnership with Imus Productions. Starring Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. in the title role, it became the official entry of GMA Films and Imus Productions for the 2009
Metro Manila Film Festival The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival held in Metro Manila, Philippines. The festival, which runs from December 25 (Christmas) through New Year's Day and into first weekend of January in the following year, focuses on ...
. It became the festival's top grosser and won 6 major awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Revilla.


2010–2012: Continued success

From then on, all films were only released nationwide while selected films had selected screenings in key points worldwide such as ''
When I Met U ''When I Met U'' is a 2009 Filipino romantic comedy film directed by Joel Lamangan and starring Richard Gutierrez and KC Concepcion. The screenplay by Aloy Adlawan was written for Jose Javier Reyes to direct; Reyes later left, citing "creative ...
'', starring
Richard Gutierrez Richard Kristian Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984), known professionally as Richard Gutierrez, is a Filipino actor, environmentalist and model. He is one of the sons of actor Eddie Gutierrez. Early life Richard Gutierrez was born on January ...
and
KC Concepcion Maria Kristina Cassandra "KC" Cuneta Concepcion (; born April 7, 1985) is a Filipino actress, singer, dancer, TV host, entrepreneur, socialite and humanitarian. She has had lead roles in Philippine films '' For The First Time'' (2008) and ''Whe ...
had various international screenings and ''
You to Me Are Everything In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
'', starring
Marian Rivera Marian Rivera Gracia-Dantes (; born 12 August 1984) is a Filipino recording artist, actress, and commercial model. She gained prominence as a widely-acclaimed actress for her roles in '' MariMar'', ''Dyesebel'', '' Amaya'', '' Darna'' and '' T ...
and
Dingdong Dantes Jose Sixto Raphael Gonzalez Dantes III (born August 2, 1980), professionally known as Dingdong Dantes (), is a Filipino actor, television presenter, dancer, commercial model and film producer who is currently working as an employment contract, ...
had a New Jersey showing in 2010 and its recent film to be released at least within US borders was ''
In Your Eyes IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...
'', starring
Claudine Barretto Claudine Margaret Castelo Barretto (; born July 20, 1979) is a Filipino actress, singer, and entrepreneur. Popularly dubbed as “''The'' ''Optimum Star''” by various media outlets, Barretto has won 3 FAMAS Award including 2 Best Actress w ...
,
Richard Gutierrez Richard Kristian Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984), known professionally as Richard Gutierrez, is a Filipino actor, environmentalist and model. He is one of the sons of actor Eddie Gutierrez. Early life Richard Gutierrez was born on January ...
and
Anne Curtis Anne Curtis-Smith(; born 17 February 1985) is a Filipino-Australian actress, model, television host, entrepreneur and recording artist. She is dubbed as the "''Multimedia Superstar''" for her talent and influence. Curtis has received numerou ...
, had an international screening in notable cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego. During the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival, GMA Films' entry ''
Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote ''Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote'' () is a Filipino action comedy and fantasy crossover film directed by Tony Reyes which stars Vic Sotto and Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. This was the union of their famous characters, Enteng Kabisote and A ...
'' became the top grosser. The film starred
Vic Sotto Marvic Valentin Castelo Sotto (; born April 28, 1954), professionally known as Vic Sotto, is a Filipino actor, singer and comedian known far and wide for his various television and film projects on the major Philippine television networks GMA ...
and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and was a joint production with Imus Productions, M-Zet Production, Octo Arts Films and APT Entertainment. On May 11, 2012, ''
The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that ha ...
'' was released to theaters in the U.S. and Canada. 2012 is the year that GMA Films has produced eight films in a year, the most it has ever done since its very start. This was part of GMA Films' resolution to produce one film per month. Even though that did not happen, they managed to produce eight films. On the same year, It made their own first venture for television was
Cielo de Angelina ''Cielo de Angelina'' (International title: ''Angelina's Sky'' / ) is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Omar Deroca, it stars Bea Binene in the title role. It premiered on October 22, 2012 on the networ ...
on the morning slot.


2013–2014: Decline

In 2013, GMA Films produced only 2 feature film, ''Dance of the Steelbars'' and '' My Lady Boss''. Both films performed less than its previous films last year despite a star-studded cast. It distributed the Cinemalaya 2013 entry ''
Sana Dati ''Sana Dati'' ( en, If Only) is a 2013 Philippine romantic drama film written, directed, edited, and scored by Jerrold Tarog. The film stars Lovi Poe and Paulo Avelino. It is the final installment to Tarog's ''Camera trilogy'' which include '' ...
'' to theaters. In 2014, the film outfit produced the horror-thriller '' Basement'', the action-thriller ''
Overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
'' and the
40th Metro Manila Film Festival The 40th Metro Manila Film Festival was the edition of the annual film festival that is held in Metro Manila, Philippines and is organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). During the film festival, no foreign films are shown in Ph ...
entry '' Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2'', which won 5 major awards.


2015–2016: AlDub phenomenon

With the popularity of the
AlDub AlDub is a Philippine supercouple which first appeared in the Kalyeserye portion of the "Juan for All, All for Juan" segment of the variety show ''Eat Bulaga!'' They were also called as the "phenomenal love team" due to their rise in popula ...
love team (
Alden Richards Richard Reyes Faulkerson Jr. (born January 2, 1992), known professionally as Alden Richards, is an award-winning Filipino actor, singer, host, and entrepreneur. He is dubbed as "The Asia's Multimedia Star" after receiving the Asian Star Pri ...
and
Maine Mendoza Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza (born March 3, 1995), better known as Maine Mendoza (), is a Filipino actress and television personality. She is best known for her viral Dubsmash videos and her role as Yaya Dub in the noontime reality show ''Ea ...
rising to phenomenal heights in 2015, GMA Films partnered with Octo Arts Films, M-Zet Productions, APT Entertainment and MEDA Productions to produce My Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore as entry to the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival. The hottest love team was joined by
Vic Sotto Marvic Valentin Castelo Sotto (; born April 28, 1954), professionally known as Vic Sotto, is a Filipino actor, singer and comedian known far and wide for his various television and film projects on the major Philippine television networks GMA ...
and
Ai-Ai delas Alas Martina Eileen Hernandez delas Alas-Sibayan (born November 11, 1964), known professionally as Ai-Ai delas Alas, is a Filipino actress and comedian. She is widely regarded as the country's "Queen of Comedy" for her comedic talent and best know ...
, directed by
Jose Javier Reyes Jose "Joey" Javier Reyes (born October 21, 1954) is a Filipino professor, writer, director, miscellaneous crew and actor. He has won awards at the Gawad Urian, Metro Manila Film Festival and Filipino Star Awards for Movies for his films, which ...
. The movie figured in a tight race with another MMFF entry,
Beauty and the Bestie ''Beauty and the Bestie'' is a 2015 Filipino action comedy film directed by Wenn V. Deramas, starring Vice Ganda and Coco Martin, alongside James Reid, and Nadine Lustre in their also stars. It is an official entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Fi ...
for the top spot at the box-office. The movie eventually earned P385 million, breaking box-office records. The said movie also earned 3 major awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Maine Mendoza. In 2016, GMA Films partnered with APT Entertainment and M-Zet Productions for the movie
Imagine You and Me ''Imagine You and Me'' (stylized as ''Imagine You & Me'') is a 2016 Philippine romantic comedy film directed by Mike Tuviera starring Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza under APT Entertainment, GMA Pictures, and M–Zet TV Production, Inc. The fi ...
, which marked the second team-up of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza. Shot mostly in
Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...
and
Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
in Italy, the movie was directed by Mike Tuviera. It was also one of the only two films (the other one is the film adaptation of Angels & Demons by Dan Brown) permitted to shoot in Verona. Upon the movie's release on July 13, 2016, the film grossed over ₱12.8 million on the first six hours of opening day and it went on to gross over ₱21.5 million at the end of the day. It was 2016's highest opening gross for a Philippine film until it was surpassed by the Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla starrer Barcelona: A Love Untold, which grossed ₱23 million according to Star Cinema. Overall, ''Imagine You and Me'' was a big box office hit and had a successful four-week run in Philippine cinemas nationwide. After ''Imagine You and Me'', GMA Films took another hiatus as parent GMA Network focused on its migration to digital TV.


2019–present: Second comeback

After a 2-year hiatus, in 2019, GMA revived its film outfit as GMA Pictures. They also inked a co-production deal with Mic Test Entertainment, starting with
Family History Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family a ...
. It also co-produced the Cinemalaya 2019 entry ''Children of the River'' with Spears Films and Luna Studios. GMA Pictures also created a new division called ''Backyard Productions'', with ''
Kiko en Lala ''Kiko en Lala'' is a 2019 Philippine comedy film directed by Adolfo B. Alix Jr. The film stars Super Tekla in his movie debut. Produced by GMA Pictures' subsidiary Backyard Productions, the film was initially titled ''Kambal Karnabal''. Ca ...
'' as its first release. On April 29, 2022, GMA Pictures inked a joint venture agreement with
Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to qual ...
.


GMA Records Home Video

GMA Records Home Video is the home video distribution arm of GMA Pictures. It is the exclusive home video and DVD distributor of GMA Films library as well as programs from GMA Network.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gma Films GMA Pictures Philippine film studios Entertainment companies of the Philippines Film production companies of the Philippines Television production companies of the Philippines Mass media companies established in 1995 Companies based in Quezon City