''Hello, Love, Again'' is a 2024 Philippine

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

film directed by

Cathy Garcia-Sampana Catherine Rosales Garcia-Sampana (; formerly Molina; born November 28, 1971) is a Filipino Film director, film and television director best known for directing romantic comedy and family drama films produced and distributed by Star Cinema. She ...

from a script by Carmi G. Raymundo and Crystal Hazel San Miguel; filmmaker Olivia Lamasan is credited among the story writers. The sequel to ''

Hello, Love, Goodbye ''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' is a 2019 Philippine romantic drama film directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina and produced by Carlo L. Katigbak and Olivia M. Lamasan from a story and screenplay written by Carmi G. Raymundo, with Rona Co, Crystal S. San M ...

'' (2019), it stars

Kathryn Bernardo Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo (born March 26, 1996) is a Filipino actress. She began her career as a child actress, portraying young versions of lead characters in series such as '' It Might Be You'' (2003) and '' Endless Love'' (2010). She ...

and

Alden Richards Richard Reyes Faulkerson Jr. (born January 2, 1992), known professionally as Alden Richards, is a Filipino actor, entrepreneur television personality, and singer. Known for his leading man roles in romantic and historical drama in television an ...

, alongside

Joross Gamboa John Ross Sanchez "Joross" Gamboa (born November 28, 1984), is a Filipino actor, comedian and model who was a 2nd runner-up in the 1st season of '' Star Circle Quest''. Career After four years of being with ABS-CBN Star Magic, ''Joross Gamboa' ...

Valerie Concepcion Valerie Norona Galang-Sunga (born December 21, 1987), known professionally as Valerie Concepcion (), is a Filipino actress, television host, and endorser. She is known for her role as Nora Ferrer in the soap opera '' Sinasamba Kita'' but later tr ...

, and

Jennica Garcia Jennica Alexis Maitim Garcia (; born December 26, 1989) is a Filipino actress, host and director. She is the daughter of veteran actress, Jean Garcia. She is currently a freelance artist. In April 2024, Melai Cantiveros Melisa Bunayog Can ...

. In the film, Joy and Ethan reunite in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

after discovering that their opportunities have changed. The first major co-production by

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc., trade name, doing business as Star Cinema and also known as ABS-CBN Films (since 2018), is a Philippines, Philippine film studio, film, television production company, production and distribution (marketing), di ...

and

GMA Pictures GMA Network Films Inc., trade name, doing business as GMA Pictures (formerly Cinemax Studios and GMA Films), is a Philippines, Philippine film studio, film, television production company, production and distribution (marketing), distribution c ...

, two film studios from rival media companies, the film was theatrically released in the Philippines on November 13, 2024. The film is commercially successful and received positive reviews from critics, earning in box office and becoming the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time.

Plot

In the spring of 2020, Ethan visits Joy, who is now working as a domestic helper in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

. Ethan proposes marriage to Joy, but finds himself stranded during the

COVID-19 lockdown During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numero ...

. Moving in with Joy, their relationship unravels as Ethan struggles doing menial jobs while his bar in Hong Kong goes bankrupt in his absence. A year later, Ethan's father becomes infected with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Ethan immediately returns to Hong Kong but his father dies just before he arrives. Distraught and without Joy to comfort him, Ethan has a one-night stand with a random woman, but is caught when Joy video-calls him to tell of her impending return. Heartbroken, Joy calls off her engagement to Ethan. Three years later, Joy works at a nursing care facility and is applying to go to the United States in the hopes of becoming a registered nurse. As she picks up a friend at the airport, she comes across Ethan and their mutual friend Jhim, who are now seeking to work in Canada. Working at a café, Jhim asks for additional job recommendations from Joy, who then asks him to provide his number, not knowing that Jhim had placed Ethan's number instead. Joy subsequently gets into awkward encounters with Ethan, leading her to suspect that he is chasing after her, but Ethan denies this. At a picnic, Joy becomes jealous when a colleague at the nursing home, Baby, develops a crush on Ethan and proposes that they live together in the hopes that Ethan would become a permanent resident. Joy suddenly proposes that Ethan live with her instead as a common-law husband for a year, which Ethan accepts. News of their renewed relationship sparks excitement among their friends and family back home and in Hong Kong, unaware that they are entering into a sham arrangement. However, Joy's feelings begin to change when Ethan volunteers to clean up at the nursing home and when Jhim tells her that Ethan had narrowly survived being stabbed by loan sharks over his bar and sold his house to pay off his debts. Joy and Ethan gradually reconcile, but a jealous Baby then invites Ethan for a chat in front of Joy. When Ethan arrives later that night, Joy accuses him of cheating on her again, but Ethan says that Baby had threatened to report them both to the IRCC for fraud, leading Ethan to break off their relationship in order to save Joy's future. As Ethan apologizes for his past mistakes, Joy confesses her true feelings for Ethan, and they make love. The next day, Joy reports for work to learn that her ward Martha died the night before from

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

complications. Returning to her house, Joy learns that her application to the US has been accepted, to the sorrow of a surprised Ethan. Joy apologizes to Ethan, who accepts his fate, but expresses hope that it would be the last time he says goodbye to her. On her way to the airport, Joy reads a letter left behind by Martha, during which the latter expresses regret at neglecting her loved ones and urges Joy to "return home". Joy aborts her departure and rushes to Ethan's house. As she knocks on the door, Ethan emerges from the yard, and the two express their love for each other again, leading to their marriage a year later.

Cast

as Joy Marie Fabregas-del Rosario *

as Ethan del Rosario *

as Jhim Gabriel *

as Jambi *

as Baby *

Ruby Rodriguez Mari Ruby Rodriguez-Aquino (born January 10, 1966) is a Filipina actress and a former host of the Philippine noontime variety show ''Eat Bulaga!''. Career Rodriguez originally started her career as a preschool teacher, later appearing in a r ...

as Amy *Jobert Austria as Tito Lino *Mark Labella as Marc *Marvin Aritrangco as Marvin *Wendy Froberg as Martha *Kevin Kreider as Uno *Jeffrey Tam as Carlo Nicolas *

Lito Pimentel Joselito Pimentel (born May 27, 1963), known professionally as Lito Pimentel, is a Filipino film and television actor. He is the nephew of the late game show host Pepe Pimentel. Early life and career Pimentel's career began in the early 1980s ...

as Mario del Rosario, Ethan's father *

Jameson Blake Jameson Andrew Blake (born June 17, 1997) is a Filipino-American actor, dancer, and model based in the Philippines. He is best known for his roles in the films '' 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten'' (2016), '' So Connected'' (2018), and ''Ang Babaeng Allergic ...

as Edward del Rosario, Ethan's younger brother *

Kakai Bautista Catherine Herrera Bautista (born September 2, 1978), professionally known as Kakai Bautista (), is a Filipino actress, host, singer and comedienne. Career Bautista first started out as a theater actress. She was discovered by Ricky Rivero in 20 ...

as Sally Daraga *

Lovely Abella Lovely Abella-Manalo (born on December 11, 1986) is a Filipino dancer, host, comedian, model, entrepreneur, and an actress. She is currently under the management of Sparkle GMA Artist Center and GMA Network. Personal life An ethnic Ilongga, A ...

as Gina Mariquit *

Maymay Entrata Marydale "Maymay" Entrata (; born May 6, 1997) is a Filipino actress, singer, model and television host. Having achieved mainstream success across television, music and fashion, she came to prominence after winning the reality show '' Pinoy B ...

as Mary Dale Fabregas, Joy's cousin *

Anthony Jennings Anthony Jennings may refer to: * Anthony Jennings (musician) (1945–1995), New Zealand harpsichordist, organist, choral and orchestral director, and academic * Anthony Jennings (American football) (born 1994), American college football quarterback ...

as Eric del Rosario, Ethan's younger brother * Wilbert Ross as Joey Fabregas, Joy's younger brother *William Lorenzo as Celso Fabregas, Joy and Joey's father *Eric Jhon Balajadia as Tonton

Production

Development

During the theatrical release of ''Hello, Love, Goodbye'', lead actor

and director

Cathy Garcia-Molina Catherine Rosales Garcia-Sampana (; formerly Molina; born November 28, 1971) is a Filipino Film director, film and television director best known for directing romantic comedy and family drama films produced and distributed by Star Cinema. She ...

(now Cathy Garcia-Sampana) expressed openness to working on a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

for the film despite the latter's confirming plans to retire from directing to focus on her family, with lead actress

expressing similar sentiments on a potential sequel. On May 19, 2024, American news website ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...

'' confirmed that film studios

and

will be collaborating together for the first time in developing the film, with Bernardo and Richards reprising their respective roles as Joy and Ethan. Garcia-Sampana was hired to direct the film's sequel, and is targeting for a November 13, 2024 release in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The film's sequel centers on Filipinos in Canada. Screenwriters Carmi Raymundo and Crystal San Miguel narrate Bernardo and Richards' blooming

romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

amid their hardships and

challenges Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging (voter suppression), caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Law ...

OFWs Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million ...

. On May 19, 2024, ABS-CBN and GMA executives held a joint

press conference A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...

of the upcoming film, showing the start of the movie collaboration between the two media companies.

Filming

In June,

, who was cast in the prequel movie ''

'', shared photos and videos in social media with fellow actors Alden Richards and Jeffrey Tam in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

for the shooting.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

commenced on July 26, 2024, in

. Filming wrapped up on August 24, 2024.

Marketing

On September 25, 2024, Star Cinema through its social media platforms, shared the movie's first teaser which garnered more than 10 million views in the first six hours after its release. On October 5, 2024, Star Cinema held a mall show at

Ayala Malls Ayala Malls is a retail subsidiary of real estate company Ayala Land, an affiliate of Ayala Corporation. Founded in 1988, Ayala Malls owns a chain of large shopping malls, all located in the Philippines. Ayala Malls is one of the largest shoppi ...

Solenad in Laguna as part of its ''Hello Again Tour''. The film's official poster was also revealed at the event. During their second mall show for the ''Hello Again Tour'' held on October 8, 2024, at Vista Malls Taguig, the film's official trailer was first released. The trailer had more than 11 million views in 14 hours after its release across social media.

Release

''Hello, Love, Again'' debuted in 656 cinemas nationwide on November 13, 2024, setting a new record for the widest release of a Filipino film. Midnight screenings were also held in various cinemas across the country. A day before its general release, a red carpet world premiere was held at

SM Megamall SM Megamall (formerly as SM Megamall Ortigas and colloquially known as Megamall), is a shopping mall located in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. Opened in 1991, it is the third SM Supermall, after SM North EDSA and SM Ci ...

and was attended by the film's cast and crew members including the lead stars

and

, and director

. The event was also attended by the celebrities and executives of ABS-CBN and GMA including Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, Carlo L. Katigbak, Mark Lopez,

Cory Vidanes María Socorro Valenzuela-Vidanes, popularly known as Cory Vidanes (born May 15, 1962), is a Filipina executive and Chief Operating Officer for Broadcast of ABS-CBN Corporation, the largest media conglomerate in the Philippines. Personal lif ...

Jak Roberto Jan Rommel Osuna Roberto (born December 2, 1993), professionally known as Jak Roberto, is a Filipino actor, model, dancer and singer. He was a member of the trio boy band 3LOGY alongside Jeric Gonzales and Abel Estanislao. Roberto is curr ...

Barbie Forteza Barbara Ambas "Barbie" Forteza (born July 31, 1997) is a Filipino singer-actress and television personality. She dubbed as the ''Kapuso Primetime Princess''. Her critically acclaimed movies are ''Mariquina'' (2014), ''Laut'' (2016), ''Tuos'' ...

, and

Julia Montes Mara Hautea Schnittka ( ; born March 19, 1995), known professionally as Julia Montes (), is a Filipino actress. Known for playing strong female characters and romantic leads in a range of genres across film and television, she has received var ...

. After the successful first-day run,

released the film in 1,100 cinemas worldwide, a first for any Filipino film. The film is also scheduled to premiere at the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on January 30, 2025. It was also released on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on February 13, 2025. The film debut at number 1 on Netflix Philippines and number 6 in non-English movies globally.

Reception

Box office

''Hello, Love, Again'' earned ₱85 million on its first day, setting the record for the highest opening day gross for a local film and surpassing ''

The Super Parental Guardians ''The Super Parental Guardians'' is a 2016 Philippine action comedy film starring Vice Ganda and Coco Martin. The film is directed by Joyce Bernal and is under the production of Star Cinema. The film marks the second feature film collaboration ...

'' (2016). On its second day, the film earned an additional ₱70 million in box office receipts, making it the fastest local film ever to surpass the ₱150 million mark, and by its third day, the film had earned ₱245 million, the fastest local film to surpass the ₱200 million mark. The movie also set the record for the largest opening weekend ever for a Filipino film in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

, earning a total of US$2.4 million and finishing in eighth place. As of November 17, the film earned ₱520 million in the domestic box office. As of November 18, 2024, the film earned ₱566 million in the Philippines. Both Bernardo and Richards announced that part of the film's proceeds would be donated to victims of typhoons that struck the Philippines at the time of its release. On November 23, 2024, the film earned ₱1.06 billion, making it the first Filipino movie to gross over a billion pesos. As of December 2, 2024, the film has earned ₱1.4 billion pesos. By February 25, 2025, Star Cinema released the film's total worldwide gross of ₱1.6 billion pesos. It has also become the highest grossing Filipino film of all time, surpassing ''

Rewind Rewind may refer to: General uses * Rewind, the process of winding magnetic tape inside a cassette or a microfilm reel backwards to a previous point on the reel ** Rewind symbol, a media control symbol indicating tape rewind or analogous operatio ...

''. The film ranked 97th at the 2024 worldwide box office, according to

Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon. History Brandon Gray ...

, with a reported total gross of $22,881,613 ( box office from Europe and other countries in Asia were excluded).

Critical reception

The film received a review score of 71/100 from 6 reviews according to review aggregator website Kritikultura, indicating a generally positive reception. Vikram Murthi of IndieWire gave ''Hello, Love, Again'' a mixed review, grading it a "B-". He stated that in spite of its earnestness, "the film exhibits something of a split personality by awkwardly moving between cutesy soap operatic romance and an unsparing, oft-devastating portrait of the myriad hurdles facing foreign workers.... ernardo and Richards'scenes together can feel unfocused solely because they're needlessly drawn out. Plus, the various plot complications that hinder their inevitable reconciliation, like a half-forgotten love triangle or Joy's impulsive decision to accept Ethan as a common-law partner, generally feel like caricatured dramatic obstacles." Jason Tan Liwag, writing for ''

Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripples") is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and convicted cyberlibelist ...

'', praised the film's acting, editing, and cinematography while criticizing its portrayal of the Filipino community in Calgary as "underdeveloped".

Awards and Recognitions

References

External links

* {{Cathy Garcia-Molina 2024 films 2024 romantic drama films Filipino-language films Films directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina Films scored by Jessie Q. Lasaten Films set in 2020 Films set in 2023 Films set in 2024 Films set in Calgary Films shot in Calgary Films with screenplays by Carmi Raymundo Films with screenplays by Crystal S. San Miguel GMA Pictures films Philippine romantic drama films Philippine sequel films Star Cinema drama films Star Cinema films 2020s Philippine films