# Hello, Love, Again

Hello, Love, Again is a 2024 Philippine romantic drama film directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana from a script by Carmi G. Raymundo and Crystal Hazel San Miguel; filmmaker Olivia Lamasan is credited among the story writers. The sequel to Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019), it stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards, alongside Joross Gamboa, Valerie Concepcion, and Jennica Garcia. In the film, Joy and Ethan reunite in Canada after discovering that their opportunities have changed.
The first major co-production by Star Cinema and GMA Pictures, two film studios from rival media companies, the film was theatrically released in the Philippines on November 13, 2024. The film is commercially successful and received positive reviews from critics, earning ₱1.6 billion in box office and becoming the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time.

## Plot

In the spring of 2020, Ethan visits Joy, who is now working as a domestic helper in Calgary. Ethan proposes marriage to Joy, but finds himself stranded during the COVID-19 lockdown. Moving in with Joy, their relationship unravels as Ethan struggles doing menial jobs while his bar in Hong Kong goes bankrupt in his absence. A year later, Ethan's father becomes infected with COVID-19. Ethan immediately returns to Hong Kong but his father dies just before he arrives. Frustrated with his situation and with Joy's absence, Ethan had a one-night stand with a random woman, and is caught when Joy video-calls him to tell of her impending return. Heartbroken, Joy calls off her engagement to Ethan.
Three years later, Joy works at a nursing care facility and is applying to go to the United States in the hopes of becoming a registered nurse. As she picks up a friend at the airport, she comes across Ethan and their mutual friend Jhim, who are now seeking to work in Canada. Working at a café, Jhim asks for additional job recommendations from Joy, who then asks him to provide his number, not knowing that Jhim had placed Ethan's number instead. Joy subsequently gets into awkward encounters with Ethan, leading her to suspect that he is chasing after her, but Ethan denies this. At a picnic, Joy becomes jealous when a colleague at the nursing home, Baby, develops a crush on Ethan and proposes that they live together in the hopes that Ethan would become a permanent resident. Joy suddenly proposes that Ethan live with her instead as a common-law husband for a year, which Ethan accepts.
News of their renewed relationship sparks excitement among their friends and family back home and in Hong Kong, unaware that they are entering into a sham arrangement. However, Joy's feelings begin to change when Ethan volunteers to clean up at the nursing home and when Jhim tells her that Ethan had narrowly survived being stabbed by loan sharks over his bar and sold his house to pay off his debts. Joy and Ethan gradually reconcile, but a jealous Baby then invites Ethan for a chat in front of Joy. When Ethan arrives later that night, Joy accuses him of cheating on her again, but Ethan says that Baby had threatened to report them both to the IRCC for fraud, leading Ethan to break off their relationship in order to save Joy's future. As Ethan apologizes for his past mistakes, Joy confesses her true feelings for Ethan, and they make love.
The next day, Joy reports for work to learn that her ward Martha died the night before from dementia complications. Returning to her house, Joy learns that her application to the US has been accepted, to the sorrow of a surprised Ethan. Joy apologizes to Ethan, who accepts his fate, but expresses hope that it would be the last time he says goodbye to her. On her way to the airport, Joy reads a letter left behind by Martha, during which the latter expresses regret at neglecting her loved ones and urges Joy to "return home". Joy aborts her departure and rushes to Ethan's house. As she knocks on the door, Ethan emerges from the yard, and the two express their love for each other again, leading to their marriage a year later.

## Cast

* Kathryn Bernardo as Joy Marie Fabregas-del Rosario
* Alden Richards as Ethan del Rosario
* Joross Gamboa as Jhim Gabriel
* Valerie Concepcion as Jambi
* Jennica Garcia as Baby
* Ruby Rodriguez as Amy
* Jobert Austria as Tito Lino
* Mark Labella as Marc
* Marvin Aritrangco as Marvin
* Wendy Froberg as Martha
* Kevin Kreider as Uno
* Jeffrey Tam as Carlo Nicolas
* Lito Pimentel as Mario del Rosario, Ethan's father
* Jameson Blake as Edward del Rosario, Ethan's younger brother
* Kakai Bautista as Sally Daraga
* Lovely Abella as Gina Mariquit
* Maymay Entrata as Mary Dale Fabregas, Joy's cousin
* Anthony Jennings as Eric del Rosario, Ethan's younger brother
* Wilbert Ross as Joey Fabregas, Joy's younger brother
* William Lorenzo as Celso Fabregas, Joy and Joey's father
* Eric Jhon Balajadia as Tonton

## Production
### Development

During the theatrical release of Hello, Love, Goodbye, lead actor Alden Richards and director Cathy Garcia-Molina (now Cathy Garcia-Sampana) expressed openness to working on a sequel for the film despite the latter's confirming plans to retire from directing to focus on her family, with lead actress Kathryn Bernardo expressing similar sentiments on a potential sequel.
On May 19, 2024, American news website Deadline confirmed that film studios Star Cinema and GMA Pictures will be collaborating together for the first time in developing the film, with Bernardo and Richards reprising their respective roles as Joy and Ethan. Garcia-Sampana was hired to direct the film's sequel, and is targeting for a November 13, 2024 release in the Philippines.
The film's sequel centers on Filipinos in Canada. Screenwriters Carmi Raymundo and Crystal San Miguel narrate Bernardo and Richards' blooming romance amid their hardships and challenges as OFWs. On May 19, 2024, ABS-CBN and GMA executives held a joint press conference of the upcoming film, showing the start of the movie collaboration between the two media companies.

### Filming

In June, Joross Gamboa, who was cast in the prequel movie Hello, Love, Goodbye, shared photos and videos in social media with fellow actors Alden Richards and Jeffrey Tam in Hong Kong for the shooting.
Principal photography commenced on July 26, 2024, in Calgary. Filming wrapped up on August 24, 2024.

## Marketing

On September 25, 2024, Star Cinema through its social media platforms, shared the movie's first teaser which garnered more than 10 million views in the first six hours after its release.
On October 5, 2024, Star Cinema held a mall show at Ayala Malls Solenad in Laguna as part of its Hello Again Tour. The film's official poster was also revealed at the event.
During their second mall show for the Hello Again Tour held on October 8, 2024, at Vista Malls Taguig, the film's official trailer was first released. The trailer had more than 11 million views in 14 hours after its release across social media.

## Release

Hello, Love, Again debuted in 656 cinemas nationwide on November 13, 2024, setting a new record for the widest release of a Filipino film. Midnight screenings were also held in various cinemas across the country. A day before its general release, a red carpet world premiere was held at SM Megamall and was attended by the film's cast and crew members including the lead stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards, and director Cathy Garcia-Sampana. The event was also attended by the celebrities and executives of ABS-CBN and GMA including Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, Carlo L. Katigbak, Mark Lopez, Cory Vidanes, Jak Roberto, Barbie Forteza, and Julia Montes.
After the successful first-day run, Star Cinema released the film in 1,100 cinemas worldwide, a first for any Filipino film.
The film is also scheduled to premiere at the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in Los Angeles on January 30, 2025. It was also released on Netflix on February 13, 2025. The film debut at number 1 on Netflix Philippines and number 6 in non-English movies globally.

## Reception
### Box office

Hello, Love, Again earned ₱85 million on its first day, setting the record for the highest opening day gross for a local film and surpassing The Super Parental Guardians (2016). On its second day, the film earned an additional ₱70 million in box office receipts, making it the fastest local film ever to surpass the ₱150 million mark, and by its third day, the film had earned ₱245 million, the fastest local film to surpass the ₱200 million mark.
The movie also set the record for the largest opening weekend ever for a Filipino film in the United States and Canada, earning a total of US$2.4 million and finishing in eighth place. As of November 17, the film earned ₱520 million in the domestic box office. As of November 18, 2024, the film earned ₱566 million in the Philippines. Both Bernardo and Richards announced that part of the film's proceeds would be donated to victims of typhoons that struck the Philippines at the time of its release. On November 23, 2024, the film earned ₱1.06 billion, making it the first Filipino movie to gross over a billion pesos. As of December 2, 2024, the film has earned ₱1.4 billion pesos. By February 25, 2025, Star Cinema released the film's total worldwide gross of ₱1.6 billion pesos. It has also become the highest grossing Filipino film of all time, surpassing Rewind.
The film ranked 97th at the 2024 worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo, with a reported total gross of $22,881,613.

### Critical reception

The film received a review score of 71/100 from 6 reviews according to review aggregator website Kritikultura, indicating a generally positive reception.
Vikram Murthi of IndieWire gave Hello, Love, Again a mixed review, grading it a "B-". He stated that in spite of its earnestness, "the film exhibits something of a split personality by awkwardly moving between cutesy soap operatic romance and an unsparing, oft-devastating portrait of the myriad hurdles facing foreign workers.... [Bernardo and Richards'] scenes together can feel unfocused solely because they're needlessly drawn out. Plus, the various plot complications that hinder their inevitable reconciliation, like a half-forgotten love triangle or Joy's impulsive decision to accept Ethan as a common-law partner, generally feel like caricatured dramatic obstacles."
Jason Tan Liwag, writing for Rappler, praised the film's acting, editing, and cinematography while criticizing its portrayal of the Filipino community in Calgary as "underdeveloped".

### Accolades

Accolades received by Hello, Love, Goodbye :
| Awards | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| 10th Asian World Film Festival | November 13-21, 2024 | Snow Leopard Rising Star Award | Kathryn Bernardo | Won |
| 7th Gawad Lasallianeta Awards | December 10, 2024 | Most Outstanding Film Actress | Kathryn Bernardo | Won |
| 7th Gawad Lasallianeta Awards | December 10, 2024 | Most Outstanding Film Actor | Alden Richards | Won |
| 7th Gawad Lasallianeta Awards | December 10, 2024 | Most Outstanding Filipino Film | Hello, Love, Again | Won |
| Manila International Film Festival | March 7, 2025 | Worldwide Box Office Hit Award | Hello, Love, Again | Won |