Star Cinema

ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc., doing business as Star Cinema and also known as ABS-CBN Films (since 2018), is a Philippine film, television production and distribution company headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the largest film studios in the Philippines, along with Regal Entertainment, GMA Pictures, and Viva Films. Star Cinema has produced and released most of the highest-grossing Philippine films of all time.
Star Cinema, along with its subsidiaries and the now-defunct MOR 101.9 Manila, forms the Star Creatives Group, the main entertainment division of the media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation.
Vanguard Films was formed in 1983. It was headed by Simon Ongpin and Charo Santos-Concio.
In 1985, the serial komiks by Nerissa Cabral, Hindi Nahahati ang Langit was adapted into a film and it stars Christopher de Leon, Lorna Tolentino, Edu Manzano, and Dina Bonnevie. The said film was directed by Mike de Leon.
In 1989, Santos-Concio formed Vision Films, operated independently from ABS-CBN and Regal Films. The first film offering of the company was Kailan Mahuhugasan ang Kasalanan? (1989), directed by Lino Brocka. Throughout its short existence, all of the films produced by Vision Films are drama based on radio serials and action-thriller based on true stories.
In 1990, two films were released: Nagsimula sa Puso and Kapag Langit ang Humatol, both were adapted from radio serials of DZRH AM radio.
In 1990 and 1991, another two action films Bala at Rosaryo starring Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and Ganti ng Api starring Ronnie Ricketts were respectively released.
In 1993, Vision Films was absorbed into the newly inaugurated Star Cinema. This time, it became a subsidiary of the ABS-CBN Corporation. The last film released by Vision Films was Isang Bala Ka Lang: Part 2 (1993), starring Fernando Poe Jr.
Star Cinema was founded on May 8, 1993, with producer Malou N. Santos becoming the studio's managing director. Although still a new player in the film industry, Star Cinema poised itself to be a major competitor of big film companies like Viva Films, Regal Entertainment. The studio collaborated with Regal Films for its first film production: Ronquillo: Tubong Cavite, Laking Tondo (1993), an action film starring Bong Revilla and Sheryl Cruz. Its strategies are to reflect the viewer's current taste and trends with a string of films targeted to mainstream viewers with film genres ranging from action, drama, comedy, horror, and fantasy. The films of Star Cinema in the 1990s has been well received with some earning critical acclaim with films including May Minamahal (1993), Maalaala Mo Kaya: The Movie (1994), Madrasta (1996), Magic Temple (1996), and Bata, Bata… Pa'no Ka Ginawa? (1998).
The 1990s also saw the pioneering works of the company by integrating computer-generated images, special effects and makeup/prosthetic into some of its films like Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara (1995), Magic Temple (1996), Kokey (1997), Magandang Hatinggabi (1998), Hiling (1998), and Puso ng Pasko (1998) among others. Other notable works are live-action adaptations of popular Japanese anime series like Sarah... Ang Munting Prinsesa (1995) and Cedie (1996), in turn, based on children's novels by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett, which incorporates stylish production designs and costumes and was shot abroad. From September 1997 to July 1999, former Viva Films executive Eric Cuatico Jr. briefly served as co-managing director of the studio alongside Santos.
Star Cinema also made a film adaptation of ABS-CBN's successful TV series like Mara Clara: The Movie, released in 1996 and Mula sa Puso: The Movie, Wansapanataym: The Movie, and Esperanza: The Movie are released in 1999. In 1997, 1998, and 2000, Star Cinema produced Goodbye America, Legacy, and Doomsdayer respectively under the banner of Star Pacific Cinema in an attempt to penetrate the Hollywood B-movie market.
The 2000s has been the most successful time for Star Cinema in terms of box office gross. Most of the all-time highest-grossing films in the history of the Philippines are either produced or co-produced by Star Cinema as reported by Box Office Mojo. In 2002, Star Cinema together with Unitel Pictures released the Filipino-American film American Adobo with mixed reviews in the United States. In late 2007, Sky Films, a distribution company previously acquired by ABS-CBN in 2001, was merged with Star Cinema. In 2010, Star Cinema co-financed and released RPG Metanoia, the first 3D computer-animated Filipino film in history. In 2013, Star Cinema co-financed and released Erik Matti's On the Job with mixed to positive reviews abroad. Star Cinema films that were well received by critics in this period were Anak (2000), Tanging Yaman (2000), Bagong Buwan (2001), Dekada '70 (2002), Nasaan Ka Man (2005), Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo (2006), In My Life (2009) and On the Job (2013).
The television unit of ABS-CBN Film Productions is Star Creatives, was established in 1997 to produce telenovelas for the ABS-CBN television network. It started its television venture in 1997 with Esperanza, a soap opera starring Judy Ann Santos in the title role. Its ratings peaked at 68% on one of its episodes in 1997, making it the record holder of the highest-rated episode for any local series on Philippine television. After Esperanza ended, it was followed by Labs Ko Si Babe, the first romantic comedy television series in the Philippines starring Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin. When Labs Ko Si Babe finished its run, Star Cinema produced Pangako Sa 'Yo in 2000 starring Kristine Hermosa and Jericho Rosales, with the studio coining the term "teleserye" to promote the series. Its ratings peaked at 64.9% on its finale episode, marking the highest rating for any series finale episode on Philippine television. Pangako Sa 'Yo also became popular abroad, notably across Africa and Asia. It was followed by another successful series Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay (2002) and It Might Be You (2003).
In 2008, its most expensive television production Lobo (known internationally as She Wolf) received the Banff World Media Festival for best telenovela program and earned Angel Locsin an International Emmy Awards nomination for performance by a female actor - the country's first overall acting nomination ever on the awards show. Sana Maulit Muli (2008) also gained a following in Taiwan when it was dubbed in Taiwanese Minnan. Kahit Isang Saglit (2008) became a finalist in the 37th International Emmy Awards. Its 2010 production Magkaribal became a finalist to the 2011 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival for best telenovela. Budoy (2011) is also a finalist to the 2013 New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards. Bridges of Love (2015) is the first Philippine telenovela to be released in Latin American countries including Peru. Soap operas produced by Star Creatives had been subtitled and dubbed to several languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Khmer, Mandarin and French and most notably those that are targeted to Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America. One of the programs dubbed in French is Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay which will cater to French-speaking audience in Africa and Europe. Star Cinema has also produced TV promos, spots and specials for the ABS-CBN network. In 2011, Star Cinema spent ₱12 million for the Philippine National Anthem video clip of ABS-CBN network.
Star Home Video is the home video and DVD distribution arm of ABS-CBN Film Productions Inc. It is the exclusive home video distributor of the Star Cinema film library, as well as ABS-CBN programs, and karaoke CDs.
Star Cinema distributes all of its films as well as movies produced by other production companies. In 2015, Star Cinema released the Cinema One Originals film That Thing Called Tadhana with critical and box office success. The film went on to gross over ₱134 million against its budget of only two-million pesos.