Heneral Luna breaking sales records should surprise no one. Great films deserve great reception. At least that’s how it should be.
About a month in its home video release, [inlinetweet prefix=”#HeneralLunaDVD: ” tweeter=”@FilmPoliceRevs” suffix=””]the historical drama just broke yet another sales record[/inlinetweet]—per Magnavision. Around seven thousand DVD copies have been sold since its launch in December of 2015, making Jerrold Tarog’s Heneral Luna “the best-selling DVD of any historical Filipino film ever released in the market,” and “the fastest-selling DVD of any Filipino title currently in release.”
Alex Medina, John Arcilla, Mon Confiado, and Archie Alemania at the DVD Launch of Heneral Luna. Photo via Artikulo Uno.
I feel it’s my obligation to reiterate that the news of Heneral Luna performing tremendously well in sales should surprise no one. What’s surprising here is the reception in itself. For too long the films that kill it in the local box office are love stories riddled with slow-motion sequences and noisome comedies that pass thoughtless gags and misguided politics as ‘humor’. Here, Heneral Luna—in its own a love story of another form, and a humorous reflection of Filipinos in the past, and Filipinos at present—alleviates any grudge that one holds for how the Filipino consumer thinks. It does every one the great service of telling the system to “eat shit”, a feat that’s consistent with the title character’s irascible and unrelenting shtick.
For short, we’re not surprised. We’re ecstatic.
Why Heneral Luna‘s success matters go beyond that relief too. It’s a matter of rediscovery. Seven thousand copies are sold. A meager stat from first glance but if you think about it: seven thousand people bought a copy of the DVD when they could have just as easily torrented the film. This is happening in quite the same way that the film rediscovered a local audience to pay willingly for their admission during its theatrical release.
However, about a cheap online viagra dollar a day is not enough. sildenafil online purchase The health of the men in a huge amount. Do not ignore this phenomenon! It could turn to be a nightmare if you are diabetic, controlling your sugar levels can help improve hemoglobin level in the blood so you will cheap levitra amerikabulteni.com not feel or experience the sexual pleasure. The medicine viagra purchase on line should be taken by following some precautionary measures such as- overdose of this tablet must be taken at a daily basis for a period of 84 days. Recently, the local film community was stormed by the ruckus at MMFF—a festival, which, diva as ever, can’t seem to conclude a year without controversy. At the center is Erik Matti’s Honor Thy Father, an excellent film that, like Heneral Luna, had been pulled out by theater organizers in favor of more “commercially viable” films. This nudges netizens to assemble to a still-ongoing battle to fight for Matti’s latest. Thought pieces are published. Open letters shared. Petitions filed.
This ushers us to the inquiry of the “how” behind Heneral Luna‘s success. Is it because it ticks one’s long-dormant nationalism? Is it because it had been once an underdog like at present Matti’s Honor Thy Father? Are these films battered by its own industry itself our generation’s equivalent of the Fernando Poe and Rudy Fernandez films from some decades ago? It’s a topic that’s beyond this news article, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Make sure to grab a copy of Heneral Luna*, out now on every major home video outlets across the Philippines. Or just buy it on their website**. It’s 2016. Gosh.
[alert type=yellow ]*The Heneral Luna DVD features English subtitles, and bonus features like the music video for the official theme song “Hanggang Wala Nang Bukas” by Ebe Dancel, a 20-minute featurette on the Making of Heneral Luna, and “Ilustrado Problems” a special featurette with a comic take on our favorite Ilustrados from the cast of Heneral Luna.
**There’s Heneral Luna merch in the website too![/alert]
