Be honest: when was the last time you watched a movie in an actual sinehan?
If you had to think about it, you're not alone. But before we declare the cinema dead, let's look at the numbers. Spoiler: it's complicated.
First, we're a really young country
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority's 2020 census, the median age in the Philippines is 25.3. About 31.4 million Filipinos, or 28.9% of the household population, are aged 15 to 30. So how our generation watches movies basically decides the future of Philippine cinema.
Quick note: there isn't much nationwide data on movie habits for young people alone, so we combined population data with surveys that cover all age groups.
The box office: bouncing back, but not all the way
Here's how Philippine box-office receipts have moved, based on titles reported to Box Office Mojo:
2019: about $144.5 million
2020: about $7.75 million
2021: about $1.29 million
2022: about $41.3 million
2023: about $47.3 million
2024: about $45.5 million
2025: about $62.6 million
That 2025 number is a 37.6% jump from the year before. Good news, right? Sort of. It's still only about 43% of 2019's total. The all-time high was about $157.4 million in 2015.
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) tells a similar up-and-down story. The 2023 edition made a record P1.069 billion, with about 800 cinemas compared with about 1,200 in 2018, according to the MMDA. In 2024, the festival hit its P800-million target, but that was about 25% lower than the year before. For the 2025 edition, organizers only said all eight entries earned over P1 million each on opening day. No full box-office totals were released.
The good news: we're watching more than ever
Online video is basically our hobby
DataReportal's "Digital 2026: The Philippines" report says the country had 98 million internet users as of October 2025, or 83.8% of the population. Filipinos spend more than 20 hours a week watching online video, the second-highest in the world. And 98.6% of us own a smartphone.
What are we watching every week?
Music videos: 76.3%
Comedy and viral videos: 58.1%
Influencer vlogs: 47.8%
Streaming keeps growing, and we watch together
A survey by ad tech company Magnite, done in May and June 2025 with more than 800 people, estimated that about 77 million Filipinos use video streaming. Some highlights:
80% said they stream more than they did a year ago.
75% plan to try a new streaming service within a year.
The average user juggles six services.
72% stream on a TV, watching with an average of four other people.
So yes, streaming is still a barkada and family thing. Local apps are doing well too. Vivamax said in June 2024 that it had passed 11 million subscribers, about three years after launching in 2021, and it makes seven feature films a month.
Pinoy films are going global
Netflix said in February 2026 that more than 90% of its Philippine members watched local titles in 2025. So far, 32 Filipino titles have made its global Top 10. "Sosyal Climbers" ranked eighth among non-English films in March 2025 with 2 million views, and "Balota" hit the same spot a month earlier. Netflix is also planning its biggest Philippine slate yet in 2026, with three series and two films.
And when a movie is worth it, we still show up
"Hello, Love, Again" earned P1.6 billion worldwide, the highest ever for a Filipino film. In 2025, "Meet, Greet & Bye" passed P215 million worldwide as of November 23, according to ABS-CBN. Even indie films had wins: Berlinale winner "Sunshine" reportedly made about P47 million locally, and the 2025 Cinemalaya festival grossed P13.4 million, up 131% from the year before.
The not-so-good news: sinehan is losing the fight
Most of us stream first
A study by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and De La Salle University (DLSU), released in December 2024, found that 67% of respondents mainly watch films through streaming. Only 21% said they often go to cinemas. The top reasons people stay home: expensive tickets, too few screenings of local films and stories that feel repetitive.
FDCP Chairperson Jose Javier Reyes also shared that 76% of respondents prefer foreign films and that many are tired of rom-coms. He said watching K-dramas at home during the pandemic made audiences more selective. He added that more people would rather wait for a film to hit streaming than pay P500 for a cinema ticket, and that repeat viewers, the fans who watch a favorite movie again and again, are gone.
2025 was a rough year for local films
In February 2026, MTRCB Chairperson Lala Sotto agreed that 2025 was a bad year for Philippine movies, citing streaming and higher ticket prices. Box-office sales grew overall, but Hollywood films like "The Conjuring: Last Rites" took the top spots. In August 2026, Reyes said it was wrong to think local cinema was doing fine, and that the issue isn't just price but also how audiences see local films.
Screen space is another problem. The LaSallian, DLSU's student paper, reported that 2024 MMFF Best Picture "Green Bones" was shown in only 40 cinemas nationwide, and the musical "Isang Himala" in just 31.
Tickets and taxes hit students hardest
In June 2025, filmmaker Fifth Solomon pointed out that local films are charged a 10% amusement tax plus 12% VAT. Educators have also said students simply can't afford cinemas on their baon. If you're young and on a budget, price matters a lot.
The elephant in the room: piracy
A Media Partners Asia study cited by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) estimated that about 20 million Filipinos used illegal sites in 2022, causing $781 million in video piracy losses. If nothing changes, that could reach 31 million users and $1 billion in losses by 2027. In a 2021 IPOPHL-WIPO survey, 68% said they used unauthorized copies to save money.
IPOPHL said it had blocked about 30 illegal sites as of October 2025. Still, the estimated piracy losses are more than 10 times the country's entire 2025 box office.
So, did we leave the cinema?
Not exactly. We didn't stop loving movies. We just changed where we watch and what we're willing to pay for.
We stream a lot, we watch with family and friends, and we push Pinoy titles into global charts. But for a movie to get us out of the house and into a cinema seat, it has to feel like an event. That's why word of mouth matters so much. The FDCP study found it was the most effective form of promotion, which means the buzz on your group chat and your feed can actually decide what's worth the trip.
What this means for filmmakers and brands
Use the cinema to create hype, and streaming and social media to get people watching and talking.
Think barkada and family, not just solo viewers, since a lot of streaming happens on a shared TV.
Make the legit option the easy option, with cheaper plans and free, ad-supported viewing, because piracy is still a huge competitor.
So the next time someone says Gen Z killed the cinema, you can tell them: we didn't. We just need a good reason to buy the ticket.
Where the numbers came from
Box Office Mojo, the Philippine Statistics Authority, DataReportal, Magnite, Netflix, the FDCP, DLSU, the MMDA, the MTRCB, IPOPHL, ABS-CBN and Vivamax, plus reports from GMA News, the Philippine Star, the Manila Bulletin, the Inquirer, the Daily Tribune, SunStar, The LaSallian, Marketing-Interactive and Newsbytes.PH.
