Only two Filipino movies made it to the list of Google Most Searched Movies in 2017.
Google has just released its annual “Year in Search,” highlighting the 2017 top trending searches in the Philippines.
Eight of the Top 10 Most Searched Movies in 2017 were Hollywood films. It interesting to note that one of the films included in the list was released in 2016, unlike the other entries that were released just this year. Disney’s Moana opened in Philippine cinemas on November 30, 2016.
Here are the most-searched movies in 2017:
1. Beauty and the Beast
Stars: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad
Director: Bill Condon
Date released in PH: March 16, 2017
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a live-action version of the fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love. The animated film became a trending topic because it features an “exclusively gay moment” where LeFou (the sidekick of Gaston) dances with another man.
2. Wonder Woman
Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright
Director: Patty Jenkins
Date released in PH: June 1, 2017
Actress Gal Gadot became a household name for her depiction of Princess Diana. When an early trailer for Wonder Woman came out, it starked online discussion because fans criticized her digitally blurred and hairless armpits. As a result, Gal Gadot's armpits were digitally altered by producers to match the color of her skin.
3. Justice League
Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher
Director: Zack Snyder
Date released in PH: November 16, 2017
Moviegoers got to see Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Raymond Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ezra Miller as The Flash in this gathering of DC superheroes.
Batman and Wonder Woman recruit a team of metahumans to stand against Steppenwolf who leads the invasion of the Earth.
4. Fast and Furious 8
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron
Director: F. Gary Gray
Date released in PH: April 15, 2017
Paul Walker tragically died during the making of Furious 7. According to his co-star and close friend, Vin Diesel, the late actor inspired much of Fast & Furious 8. In fact, Paul Walker's character Brian is mentioned several times in the film. Charlize Theron joined the franchise as the villain Cipher. She kidnapped Dom's beloved Elena and his firstborn son (whom Dom eventually names Brian).
5. Fifty Shades Darker
Stars: Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson
Director: James Foley
Date released in PH: February 8, 2017
In the second film based on the worldwide bestselling novel Fifty Shades, Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life. She demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together.
6. Logan
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Stephen Merchant and Dafne Keen
Director: James Mangold
Date released in PH: March 1, 2017
Hugh Jackman appears in his third and final Wolverine solo film, Logan. The movie is set in 2029 where almost all mutants are gone. Logan works as a driver for hire in the Mexican border. He takes care on an ailing Professor X who is plagued by worsening seizures. When he meets a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen)—who has all of Logan's superpowers—he helps bring her to a sanctuary for mutants in North Dakota.
7. It
Stars: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis
Director: Andy Muschietti
Date released in PH: September 7, 2017
The It in the title refers to the story’s central villain, an ancient shapeshifter that takes the form of its victims’ deepest fears and comes out of hibernation every 27 years to feed on the most vulnerable residents of Derry, Maine: the children. However, It is known by another name, a name that strikes fear among young and old alike: Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
8. Moana
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho
Director: Ron Clements and John Musker
Date released in PH: November 30, 2016
Disney's Moana is a CG-animated adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds.
9. 100 Tula Para Kay Stella
Stars: JC Santos, Bela Padilla
Director: Jason Paul Laxamana
Date released in PH: August 16, 2017
The movie 100 Tula Para kay Stella was chosen by the Film Development Council of the Philippines to be part of its inaugural Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. The first movie featuring the love team of JC Santos and Bela Padilla bagged the Audience Choice Award during the awards night organized by the FDCP.
A stuttering college student named Fidel (JC Santos) starts writing 100 love poems dedicated to Stella (Bela Padilla). Stella is a university rock chick who is on a quest to snag a recording contract.
10. Kita Kita
Stars: Alessandra de Rossi, Empoy
Director: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo
Date released in PH: July 19, 2017
In Kita Kita, Alessandra plays a woman who gets temporary blindness due to stress caused by her husband's infidelity. Empoy's character helps her recover as they go around Hokkaido, Japan.
This romantic dramedy is a co-production between Spring Films (owned by Piolo Pascual and Joyce Bernal, among others) and Viva Films.
By earning over P300 million, Kita Kita is now considered the highest-grossing Philippine independent film.