Star Cinema’s romantic movie “And I Love You So” received a B grade from the Cinema Evaluation Board.
For getting the second highest grade for quality filmmaking, the film outfit will get a 65 percent amusement tax rebate from the government.
Star Cinema badly needs the tax rebate specially now that “And I Love You So” is not showing in all SM Cinemas which account for 45% of all movie tickets sold in the whole Philippines.
Last Tuesday night, Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda announced on Showbiz News Ngayon that the Bea Alonzo-Sam Milby movie is showing in more than 100 cinemas nationwide EXCEPT SM Cinemas.
The reason for not showing in SM Cinemas is a dispute in the part of Star Cinema with regards to ticket sales discrepancy since 2003. Since SM has not yet settled the difference in the computation of ticket sales 6 years ago, which is worth millions of pesos, the film outfit decided to boycott SM Cinemas until the company resolve the issue.
This means Star Cinema’s upcoming movies like Kimmy Dora (topbilled by Eugene Domingo and Dingdong Dantes) and In My Life (topbilled by John Lloyd Cruz, Luis Manzano and Vilma Santos) will not be shown in SM Cinemas until the discrepancy issue is not yet resolved.
It’s a brave move in the part of Star Cinema but the film outfit believes the moviegoers are still going to watch their movies by going to non-SM Cinemas like those owned by Ayala Malls and Robinsons and other independent theaters across the country.