Try considering 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' aside from 'Thor: Love and Thunder' this week
Try considering ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ aside from ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ this week
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ got a Philippine release? WHAT??
If you are on the lookout for what film to watch this week in your nearest cinema (and, by the way, Ngayon Kaya should be an automatic recommendation since supporting local in cinemas has never been more crucial, check out our review), chances are, you’ve already made your decision.
Thor: Love and Thunder is a brassy, thundering piece of blockbuster paraphernalia that not only promises to deliver a renewed interpretation of one of the biggest superheroes in the world but also has the self-assured brand recognition of an IP-churning machine that has given an indie darling director like Taika Waititi spray, oil, and latex to paint whatever the hell he wants.
I understand where you’re coming from, in fact, you’ve probably already spent your hard-earned money on those dastardly ticket reservations. You might even be an ardent Marvel fan who has been anticipating this particular movie the most from the (so-far) middling Phase 4. If it were any other time, and there was no remarkably mesmerizing film at risk of being bumped off the black LED schedules of mall-based cinemas, then maybe this article wouldn’t even exist. But in this Philippine multiverse wrung with mainstream releases and softcore porn video-on-demands, a nexus event has branched out from the humdrum film distribution landscape — and it needs as much help as it can get.
I’m not here to bash Thor: Love and Thunder and Marvel (in fact, I’ve been branded as both a Marvel AND A24 fanboy at numerous points), nor am I here to tell you what you need to watch and what to do with your money, that’s your business after all. I’m here to hopefully help you make a better-informed decision, to help you realize that maybe there’s more than one choice before entering the hallways of a movie theater to get that indescribable feeling when the lights begin to dim.
In the past few months, much has been said about Everything Everywhere All At Once. Some have called it an inventive multiverse-hopping rollercoaster. Others praised the enthralling martial arts spectacle thanks to Michelle Yeoh’s ceaseless talent, but most are drawn to the film for its tearful and poignant family drama. Of course, there’s also the crowd who says it’s “mid,” a floundering act of stodginess and shallow gravitas. Whether you’re in the “it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen” crowd or the “it’s so overrated, there are other better films that I won’t shut up about” crowd, its impact as one of the few invigorating and unique post-pandemic cinema-going experiences not-named-Marvel is certainly undeniable.
Michelle Yeoh stars in this deeply bizarre and inventive multiversal family drama.
The Philippines rarely gets so-called “artisan” releases. Every now and then, we’re lucky enough to get releases such as Hereditary and Midsommar, but they are often exceptions rather than the rule. Potential local distributors take huge risks when launching nationwide releases for artisan films since acquiring the rights from A24, Neon, or other independent American distribution companies is naturally expensive. It’s why artist-driven films which aren’t backed by fairly large studios like Lionsgate and Sony Pictures seldom see international releases.
Conversely, even when these films do garner Philippine release dates, ever wonder why they are almost always weeks or even months late than the marketed release date? Well, numerous factors contribute to this phenomenon, the primary one being that distributors of these “artsy schmancy” films opt for limited releases in their local markets so that they can gauge the appeal and demand of these niche and specialty films. This method effectively reduces the financial risk of an independent studio as opposed to the alternative of releasing nationwide to God-knows how many thousand screens.
Imagine this: an indie film straightaway flies through 3000 screens across the United States on its premiere. And then, it’s (predictably) not for most audiences. Suddenly distribution companies panic as cinema screenings for their precious arthouse film suddenly look like the infamous Morbius screenings (which is codeword for “disparagingly empty”). Now, if nationwide releases are already such a huge risk for these films, imagine how distributors would view international releases? The need to first check if an indie film has enough traction among domestic audiences to quell risk concerns is why it takes months for potential buyers to acquire film rights for local distribution. For example, The Northman was an abject disaster at the domestic box office, which is why it now looks unlikely that it will be released here in the Philippines. Back in 2019, Midsommar was almost never released in the Philippines due to its hefty price, but fortunately, it did.
So why am I saying all of this? TBA Studios (the local distributor for EEAAO) has managed to catch lightning in a bottle, a film that, separated from all of its flashy grandiloquence, is a recognizable story of Asian familial love and upheaval. Whether you like it or not, it is films like these that need a base level of support from Filipino audiences so that there is more diversity in movie schedules and ClickTheCity listings. Aren’t you tired of seeing the same movie listed in all seven cinemas at your local mall? Isn’t it frustrating to have other Asian countries show this tiny little film, but we don’t?
I could, obviously, be wrong. Maybe there isn’t an audience for Everything Everywhere All At Once, and the 80 cinemas that opened nationwide in the country being filled by at least half is wishful thinking (the Minions: Rise of Gru meme power has been overwhelming). Could there have been a better film than EEAAO that Filipino audiences should have supported in the past? Yes. Definitely. Loads (Some even local). In fact, several indie darlings get their premieres in annual local film festivals like QCinema and garner an astounding amount of audiences, albeit in limited screenings.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Who? I only know—
Of course, there’s also the fact that this film has already been digitally available to access for weeks now, which begs the question: “If I can watch this film for free online and I appreciate it either way, why can’t I just spend my money on Thor: Love and Thunder?” To which I’d respond: Yes, go ahead! But, to those looking for a rare once-in-a-blue-moon experience in the cinemas, then maybe a ticket for this film might be worth it. Isn’t that why we chase the endless Shopee and Lazada sales because we know that they only last for a specific day or week? Don’t we value fleeting windows of discounted trips to Boracay or Singapore because we don’t know when this will ever happen again? The experience is simply irreplaceable.
To those who say, “There’ll be a better movie that will come here soon” or “I can look at this film on my laptop monitor,” consider the thought that maybe there won’t be another next time. Distributors can only bleed money for so long, and when there’s finally an indie film that you really want to watch down the line, they’ll point to the failed artsy schmancy films they’ve released in the past as an indicator that there’s little to no interest in the market. In another multiverse, maybe these films get to at least four weeks' worth of screenings due to sustained audience appeal, but in our reality, we, unfortunately, do need to show up and tell our distributors what we want with our money just to get a brief release window (especially in the post-pandemic era).
Everything Everywhere All At Once is now the highest-grossing A24 film of all time and has already earned $22 million from overseas distributors. If a film as broadly appealing and word-of-mouth buzzy as this one fails to make a modest splash at the Philippine box office, what does that tell us about the future of arthouse releases in the country? Aside from being generally better quality flicks to big-budget fanfare, these films give Filipinos choices. And isn’t that all anyone ever really wants? The choice to watch either this film or that other weird one? I would assume it’s a lot better than choosing between Thor: Love and Thunder at 3:00 PM, Thor: Love and Thunder at 6:00 PM, and maybe even Thor: Love and Thunder at 10:45 PM.
Daphne O. Chiu, the TBA Studios Executive Vice President, said of the Philippine release of EEAAO: “Filipino movie audiences deserve to see this film on the big screen. It teaches us to believe in ourselves, keep going despite adversities, and embrace everything everywhere all at once. We’re more than glad to bring this one-of-a-kind movie experience to the country and we look forward to everyone’s support as we continue to bring the best of global cinema to the Philippines and other territories.”
That last line sticks out: “—as we continue to bring the best of global cinema to the Philippines and other territories.” Audiences right now undervalue global cinema because it never shows up on their radars. Fortunately for us, there’s currently a blip on the radar — best to catch it before it disappears.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is now showing in Philippine cinemas nationwide.
Click this link to find out if your local cinema is showing it.
