MANILA, Philippines — Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards' "Hello, Love, Again" earned more than P85 million on its opening day, setting a new record for a local film kickstarting at the box office.
The sequel to 2019's "Hello, Love, Goodbye," both of them directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, opened in 600 cinemas nationwide last November 13.
The opening day gross also includes midnight screenings in 70 theaters around the Philippines, and the film will soon also open in over 400 international cinemas.
Alden expressed his gratitude for the public support the movie's been getting and the excitement around it.
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"Just like what Direk Cathy said, ang pangako lang namin sa inyo sa pelikulang ito puso ang ibibigay namin," Kathryn added. "So I hope after watching this film yun ang maramdaman nyo di lang kay Joy and Ethan kungdi dahil sa buong pelikula."
The sequel will be eyeing to wrestle the title of highest-grossing Filipino film from 2023's "Rewind," starring Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, which is the only film to surpass P900 million at the box office.
"Rewind" took the crown from the 2019 original, which ended its cinematic run at P880 million. The next highest-grossing film is "The Hows of Us," which also stars Kathryn Bernardo.
"Hello, Love, Again" also stars Joross Gamboa, Valerie Concepcion, Jennica Garcia, Kevin Kreider, Jobert Austria, Mark Labella, Marvin Aritrangco, and Ruby Rodriguez.