It took Warner Bros. two decades to collaborate again with a film studio from the Philippines.
The marching orders to Rico Gonzales, director for Distribution of Warner Bros. Philippines, was to find a local project that would best suit the vision of the Hollywood-based film and entertainment company as a distribution partner.
In his search, one particular project piqued Rico's interest: a biopic on the priest Juan Severino Mallari, who is regarded as the Philippines' first known serial killer.
That film turned out to be Mallari, which is top-billed by actor Piolo Pascual and among the participating films in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival or MMFF.
"I knew about the project when it was announced [a] few months back, as early as May. I knew it was a Piolo project based on the first documented priest killer in the country," Rico told the media at the contract signing between Warner Bros. and the local film studio Mentorque held over the weekend in Okada Manila
ADHERING TO WARNER'S REQUIREMENTS
Forging a partnership with an established, international brand like Warner Bros. has not been easy.
There were requirements set by Warner Bros. for Mallari producers to follow before they could move forward with a deal.
Without going into specifics, the process was described by John Bryan Diamante, president of Mentorque Productions, as "madugo" but worth it in the end.
Those requirements cover legalities and production budgets.
John said, "Ang Warner is very particular about their standard, and they have rules. So para makamit namin yun, somehow, we have to spend more."
John said the film cost around PHP80 million to make.
To begin with, Mallari is set in the 1800s during Spanish rule in the Philippines, making it a period film, which alone spiked up production costs.
"Kasi nung um-oo kami dun sa script, heavy ang technical requirements, naka-wardrobe. We even have to put up a whole community," recalled John.
"They [Warner Bros. representatives] even have to visit the set. Baka kasi mamaya hao siao," laughed John.
Were there instances when the script and story had to be tweaked to please Warner Bros.?
"There were just suggestions. But generally, sa script wala," John told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
THE POWER OF HORROR
Mallari has one thing going for it that makes it appealing to Warner Bros. eyes: it's a horror-suspense film.
Plus, it is true to life and based on a notorious but largely unknown local figure, adding a layer of history and mystery to the narrative.
It is believed that Juan Severino Mallari, a parish priest in Pampanga, killed 57 people leading to his execution by hanging upon the orders of the Spanish colonial government in 1840.
But there's more to be uncovered about the murderous priest and his back story, something that the film explores and attempts to shed light on.
Said Rico, "This year, box-office-wise, among the top movies that really earned in the box-office are horror films.
"I was really curious that I have been pitched with a horror movie."
A U.S. study in 2021 revealed that horror films are more popular than ever, with the genre enjoying a large chunk of viewers both in streaming platforms and cinemas.
The genre's popularity has not shown signs of slowing down as horror flicks continue to hold viewers' interest captive in various parts of the world.
In fact, for this year's MMFF, majority of submissions were under the horror genre because the producers are aware of its consistently-good box-office performance.
Rico continued, "So it was an easy decision to agree especially after seeing the movie.
"It was very good, it's a horror genre, there's Piolo Pascual, whom I've known for quite some time. So all the stars have aligned."
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For John, having Warner Bros. as a distributor is a big boost to the film's MMFF campaign and, hopefully, even beyond the country's cinemas.
Smiling, John said, "For Warner to put their logo on all our promo, to put their logo on our film, nakita niyo rin po yung trailer, is already a seal of approval because they saw the full movie."
Seeing the logo of Warner Bros. on the film, lead star Piolo remarked, "Puwede pala. Posible pala.
"It’s not just an honor because it’s a privilege to be able to be part of something this big and to be backed by Warner Bros.
"Kasi siyempre brand mo iyan e. It gives a certain sense of international brand to it."