HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Viva Films, Inc. (also known as Viva Films, stylized as VIVA Films) is a Philippine
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
production and
distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
company owned by
Viva Communications Viva Communications Inc., also known as Viva Entertainment Inc. and simply Viva (stylized in all caps) is a Philippine multinational private conglomerate headquartered in Ortigas Center, Pasig. It was founded in 1981 by Vic del Rosario ...
. It was founded in 1981 by Vic del Rosario Jr. and his sister Tess Cruz. Viva Films is one of the largest film studios in the Philippines, along with Star Cinema, Regal Entertainment and GMA Pictures.


History


Early years (1981–1988)

Veering away from the
Sharon Cuneta Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan (born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, and television personality. Prolific in multiple fields of entertainment, she is known for playing dramatic and comedic leading roles in film and television. ...
- Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to quality dramatic films. The "glossy" production of films such as '' Sinasamba Kita'', '' Palimos ng Pag-ibig'', '' Saan Darating ang Umaga?'', '' Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap,'' and '' Paano Ba ang Mangarap?'' won critical and commercial acclaim. Viva Films also made a documentary film on the Puerto Rican boyband Menudo on their visit to the Philippines in 1985. Viva launched then-supporting actor Phillip Salvador as an action star in the film ''Boy Negro''. It was also instrumental in introducing to the public
Robin Padilla Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla (; born November 23, 1969), also known by his Muslim name Abdul Aziz, is a Filipino actor, film director, and politician serving as senator of the Philippines. He is known as the "Bad Boy" of Philippine cin ...
(''Bad Boy'' and ''Anak ni Baby Ama''), and Raymart Santiago (''Noel Juico: Batang Kriminal'') as new action stars. Veteran action stars Eddie Garcia, Rudy Fernandez, Bong Revilla Jr., and Fernando Poe Jr., also made films for Viva. Viva became later known as home to quality youth-oriented films, starting with the 1984 breakthrough flick, '' Bagets''. The film was top billed by William Martinez and launched the careers of then unknowns J.C. Bonnin, Herbert Bautista, Raymond Lauchengco, and Aga Muhlach. With its box-office success, the company produced a sequel '' Bagets 2'' with Ramon Christopher, Jon Hernandez, and Francis Magalona joining the original cast, the success of the two ''Bagets'' film made it the flagship film of Viva Films and it set the trend for youth-oriented films in the 1980s which other film companies copied, but they never matched nor equaled the success brought about by the two ''Bagets'' films. Viva also made "glossy" comedy films like '' Working Girls'' (2010) and ''Sa Totoo Lang'' which featured serious actors and actresses as main characters instead of comedians. The company also gambled on new comedians as the '80s decade was about to end. Comedy flicks such as '' Puto'', ''Jack en Jill'', ''Humanap Ka ng Panget,'' and '' I Love You 3x a Day'' launched the respective careers of Herbert Bautista, Andrew E. and Jimmy Santos.


Heyday (1989–2003)

In 1989, Viva introduced its second batch of young stars via the youth-oriented comedy ''Estudyante Blues''. It introduced to the public young stars and ''That's Entertainment'' mainstays such as Vina Morales, Gelli de Belen, Keempee de Leon, Raymart Santiago and Dingdong Avanzado. The film was also a resounding success, despite the fact that ''Estudyante Blues'' became an earlier hit via the Philippine music airwaves as a single sung by Freddie Aguilar. In the 1990s, Viva launched the careers of Dennis Padilla and Janno Gibbs as solo comedians while reviving the film careers of veteran comedians Redford White ('' Neber 2 Geder''), Chiquito (''Pinagbiyak Na Bunga'') and Joey de Leon (''Hibangers''). Viva later on entered into television production by partnering with GMA Pictures. Their first venture together was the sitcom ''
Ober Da Bakod ''Ober Da'' () is a Philippine television sitcom series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Ariel Ureta, it stars Janno Gibbs, Leo Martinez and Anjo Yllana. It premiered on September 14, 1992. The series concluded on May 27, 1997. Cast ...
'' in 1992 with then rising young talents
Donita Rose Donita Rose Cavett-Palad (born December 5, 1974) is a Filipino-American actress, TV host and former MTV Asia VJ. Early and personal life Donita Rose Cavett was born in Utah on 5 December 1974 and moved to the Philippines The Philippin ...
, Gelli de Belen, and Janno Gibbs and Anjo Yllana as main stars, followed by the soap opera '' Villa Quintana'' in 1994 with
Donna Cruz Donna Cruz Yrastorza-Larrazabal (born February 14, 1977) (), is a Filipina singer and actress. Since the middle of the 1990s, she has released 8 studio albums, and featured as an actress in local films. She has also appeared on four soundtrac ...
and Keempee de Leon as lead stars. However, it was the 1995 youth-oriented series '' T.G.I.S.'' that gave Viva its biggest success as a television producer. Headlined by Angelu de Leon, it gave birth to the careers of Bobby Andrews, Michael Flores, Onemig Bondoc, Red Sternberg, Raven Villanueva and Ciara Sotto. The success of the TV series was later translated to the big screen, when the ''T.G.I.S.'' group became box-office stars via the films ''Takot Ka Ba sa Dilim?'' and ''TGIS the Movie''. A new batch of teens were introduced a few months later, and was led by Dingdong Dantes,
Anne Curtis Anne Curtis-Smith (; born 17 February 1985) is an Australian-born Filipino actress, television host, entrepreneur and model. Known for her versatile work in film and television productions, she is one of the most successful and highest-paid Fi ...
, Sunshine Dizon (previously credited as "Sunshine"), Kim Delos Santos,
Antoinette Taus Antoinette Cherish Flores Taus (born August 30, 1981) is a Filipino-American actress and environmentalist. Taus started out as a child actress for ABS-CBN and Viva and rose to popularity starring in the GMA drama series '' Anna Karenina'' (1 ...
, Polo Ravales, Dino Guevarra and Chubi del Rosario. In 1996, Viva Films had the highest number of films produced out of all the major studios in the country, producing 35% of all local films in 1995–1996.


Decline (2004–2010)

Viva Films had the lowest number of films produced among all major film studios in the Philippines for the year 2004, producing only four: '' Annie B.'', '' Masikip sa Dibdib: The Boobita Rose Story'', '' Kulimlim'' and '' Lastikman: Unang Banat'', all of which were only moderate box-office successes. Due to stiff competition, they focused on digital films and distribution the following year. In late 2006, Viva Films returned to mainstream movie production through co-producing with the film outfits owned by the giant networks: Star Cinema (owned by
ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino Media conglomerate, media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television and film production, Broadcast syndication, progra ...
) and GMA Pictures (owned by GMA Network, Inc.) while producing films by themselves from time to time. Their first two comeback mainstream films were '' Till I Met You'' (with GMA Pictures) and '' Wag Kang Lilingon'' (with Star Cinema). From 2009 to 2010, Viva produced films which were considered firsts: '' Patient X'' marks the first Viva movie of
Richard Gutierrez Richard Kristian Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984) is a Filipino actor. He is regarded as the original "''Fantaserye King''" for top billing multiple hit television series. Gutierrez is a recipient of a FAMAS Award and three PMPC Star Awards fo ...
and
Cristine Reyes Ara Cristine Pascual Klenk (born February 5, 1989) is a Filipino actress. She has been dubbed as the "Ultimate Star" by the local media for her acting prowess and popularity. Her films have collectively earned ₱1.05 billion, making her one o ...
after the latter signed a contract with Viva Entertainment, while ''Working Girls'' marks the first Viva film of the first '' Starstruck'' female winner Jennylyn Mercado after she signed a contract with Viva Entertainment.


Continued success (2011–2020)

In 2011, '' Tumbok'', ''
Catch Me, I'm in Love Catch may refer to: In sports * Catch (game), children's game * Catch (baseball), a maneuver in baseball * Catch (cricket), a mode of dismissal in cricket * Catch or reception (gridiron football) * Catch, part of a Anatomy of a rowing stroke, row ...
'', '' No Other Woman'', '' The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin'', '' Won't Last a Day Without You'' (all co-produced by Star Cinema), were released. In 2012, '' Of All the Things'' (co-produced by GMA Films), '' Moron 5 & the Crying Lady'' (co-produced by MVP Films) and '' A Secret Affair'' were released. In 2013, '' Bekikang: Ang Nanay Kong Beki'', '' It Takes a Man and a Woman'', '' Momzillas'', and '' Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy'' (all co-produced by Star Cinema) were released. In 2014, '' Diary ng Panget'', '' Trophy Wife'' and '' Muslim Magnum .357: To Serve and Protect'' were released. In 2015, '' Felix Manalo'', a biopic of the
Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...
founder, was released in October. On March 13, 2019, Viva Communications joined the local-language film consortium Globalgate Entertainment, which is led by American mini-major film studio
Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
.


Vivamax and online streaming activities (2021–present)

On January 29, 2021, Viva Films released an online video streaming site called VMX, formerly known as Vivamax, conceptualized and overseen by Viva Communications chairman and CEO Vic del Rosario, which aims to provide online viewing for their movies such as '' Maybe This Time, Kita Kita, and Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo.'' ''Vivamax'' released a wide variety of titles, ranging from
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
, horror, and
erotica Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erot ...
in the form of films and series. Viva also released a separate streaming service called ''Viva One'' (formerly ''Viva Prime'') featuring family films aimed at a broader audience. While Vivamax quickly gained a reputation as a purveyor of softcore
pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
, Viva COO Vincent del Rosario dismissed such allegations and claimed that their adult content makes up only ten percent of their streaming library. VMX's library of erotic content was also criticized by senator
Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...
who called out the streaming service for allegedly allowing younger audiences easy access to "sexy contents" with no redeeming value, amid calls for the
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB; ; is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion p ...
(MTRCB) to expand its scope for them to enforce ratings on online streaming services. Starting in 2022, Viva produced a number of films which were released every week online through ''Vivamax'', which was later rebranded as ''VMX'' as it reached a significant milestone of 12 million subscribers in October 2024.


Highest-grossing films


Viva Films on television

During the early 1980s, Viva tied up with IBC to air their early releases every Saturday night. The movie block, titled ''Viva Box Office Hits'', showed early movies of
Sharon Cuneta Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan (born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, and television personality. Prolific in multiple fields of entertainment, she is known for playing dramatic and comedic leading roles in film and television. ...
and Gabby Concepcion and other early releases by the company, In March 1988, ''Viva Box Office Hits'' was one of the Viva shows that transferred to ABS-CBN (along with '' The Sharon Cuneta Show'') after its original home IBC was sequestered by the Aquino administration. Despite Viva Box Office's cancellation on February 16, 1989, succeeding films produced by Viva Films and its subsidiaries continued to air on ABS-CBN through the network's movie blocks ''Tagalog Movie Greats'' and ''Star Cinema Presents'' until 1992. In 1992, Viva switched networks by partnering with
GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
where their latest film releases starting in 1991 onwards were shown every Thursday night. The movie block was renamed ''Viva Sinerama'' which ended on January 6, 2002. The said partnership initially caused controversy after former media partner ABS-CBN filed an injunction to block the partnership as the network launched their own motion picture company Star Cinema a year later. The said injunction affected the airing of the 1991 box-office hit '' Maging Sino Ka Man'' which was supposed to be Viva's maiden offering on ''Viva Sinerama''. After the court decided in favor of the Viva-GMA partnership, the said movie finally aired after six months. It was also during the GMA era that Viva aired another movie block on Monday nights called ''MVP (Monday Viva Presentations)'' on August 15, 1994, primarily to compete with ABS-CBN's then top-rating movie block Regal Presents, which later moved to Tuesdays as ''Tuesday Viva Presentation'' from 1997 to 1998. During the new millennium, Viva diversified its film library where it was aired randomly on IBC (via Viva TV primetime block) and ABC (now TV5) (via the Viva Box Office and Viva Cine Idols movie block). From free TV, Viva was able to tie up with Star TV and Fox International Channels Philippines to create an all-Filipino international movie channel on May 6, 1996, called
Viva Cinema Viva Cinema (formerly Viva TV and stylized in uppercase as VIVACINEMA) is a Philippine entertainment television channel owned by Viva Communications, available on satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typicall ...
. Viva Cinema aired over 300 movies coming from the Viva library, including the latest releases. It also aired behind-the-scenes outtakes and refreshing entertainment shows. The partnership between Viva and Star TV ended on July 31, 2003, after Viva acquired the remaining stake of the channel from Star TV and when Viva created its movie channel, PBO (
Pinoy Box Office Pinoy Box Office (PBO; stylized in lowercase as pbo) is a Philippine pay television film channel owned by Viva Communications. Its programming consists of films produced and distributed by Viva Films. Aside from films, PBO occasionally play ...
) and entrusted the entire Viva movie library to
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
by allowing it to air over. Viva Prime Channel airs mostly action and Drama movies at 7:00 p.m. only every other week of the month. Viva Cinema returned on February 1, 2009 along with the launch of Philippine DTH's Cignal Digital TV of the same month. Aside from Viva entrusting the entire Viva library to ABS-CBN, co-productions of Viva and Star Cinema are also aired exclusively via ABS-CBN's movie block ''Kapamilya Blockbusters'' and S+A's movie blocks ''Action Movie Zone'' and ''Lunch Blockbusters'', and via Viva Cinema, Viva Prime Channel, and PBO. While co-productions of Viva and GMA Films are exclusively aired via GMA's movie blocks ''Kapuso Movie Festival'' and/or Kapuso Movie Night, GMA News TV's movie block ''Takilya Blockbusters'', and via Viva Cinema, Viva Prime Channel, and PBO. For overseas markets, Cinema One Global (owned by ABS-CBN) also aired Viva Films productions for its overseas Filipino audiences. In 2015, Viva partnered with TV5 to provide entertainment content. This transpired after the TV network dissolved its entertainment department to make room for blocktimers and content providers. It is said that Viva will be the biggest content contributor to the network. However, its partnership with TV5 took a break in late 2016 as former Gilas Pilipinas and PBA head coach, Vicente "Chot" Reyes took over as president and CEO of TV5 which Reyes focused in sports and news programming on TV5 until he resigned in June 2019 due to negative feedbacks by the viewers and fans of the network's entertainment programming against Reyes. On May 10, 2021, after Cignal TV took over the TV5 Network's management and operations (and Viva resurrected its partnership with TV5 for the overall programming), TV5/Cignal and Viva through the
Sari-Sari Channel Sari-Sari Channel (visually rendered in all capital letters as SARI SARI CHANNEL) is a 24-hour general entertainment channel under a joint venture between Cignal TV and Viva Communications. Named after the Philippine sari-sari store, it offers a ...
announced that TV5 will air a Viva weekly movie block under the ''Sari-Sari Presents Viva Cinema'' banner, similar to the now-defunct ''Viva Sinerama'' on GMA which began on May 15, 2021, every Saturday afternoon. On October 31, 2021, the ''Sine Spotlight'' block on Sunday evenings aired films produced by Viva from the early to mid-2010s and since May 2022 until early 2023 older action films produced by Viva; competitor studio Star Cinema (under
ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino Media conglomerate, media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television and film production, Broadcast syndication, progra ...
) assumed the co-production and partnership duties for the block from February to May 2022. On August 1, 2021, Viva reverted its secondary cable-only network Viva TV back to Viva Cinema with older films produced and distributed by Viva until 1999 (since August 2024) in the new iteration along with concerts produced by sister company Viva Live; the former had been merged with the company's TV production unit. PBO is set to target broadcasting films from 2002 onwards in the coming years. From September 17, 2022 to April 12, 2024, some of most Viva's classic Filipino movies began to air on All TV Channel 2, a free-to-air and cable television network owned by
Advanced Media Broadcasting System Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) is a broadcast media company in the Philippines. Its main offices and facilities are located at Unit 906A of the Paragon Plaza Building and on the 3rd Floor of Starmalls EDSA Shaw complex, both in Mand ...
via the ''All Flix'' movie block which airs daily. All of these are later moved into TV5 since October 21, 2024 via the ''Cine Cinco sa Umaga'', ''Cine Cinco Weekend Saya'' and ''Cine Cinco Astig Sunday'' movie block.


Viva International Pictures

Viva International Pictures (VIP) is a division of Viva Films that distributes Hollywood, European and Asian movies. It is headed by the chairman and CEO, Vic del Rosario Jr. VIP is the official partner of MVP Entertainment, a subsidiary of Multivision Plus.


Films


P1.1-billion IPO

In January 2008, Viva chairman Vic del Rosario announced that Viva Communications expected to raise P1.1 billion through approval of the
initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
(IPO) by the
Philippine Stock Exchange The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (; ) is the national stock exchange of the Philippines. The exchange was created in 1992 from the merger of the Manila Stock Exchange and the Makati Stock Exchange. Including previous forms, the exchange has ...
, on listing date of March 5. It planned to sell up P 92.8 million new shares and P 49.9 million secondary shares at P 12.93 / share (offer is 35% of the company's issued and outstanding
capital stock In economics, capital goods or capital are "those durable produced goods that are in turn used as productive inputs for further production" of goods and services. A typical example is the machinery used in a factory. At the macroeconomic level, ...
). It appointed Banco de Oro (BDO) Capital and Investment Corporation as lead
underwriter Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liability ...
and Abacus Capital and Investments Corporation as co-lead underwriter. Viva's net income was P 121 million for January to October 2007, double its 2006 earnings and projects net profit of P 330 million this year.Inquirer.net, Viva Films plans P1.1-billion IPO
/ref>


Former subsidiaries

*Viva Family Entertainment - A family-oriented film outfit that existed from 1994 to 1995. *Neo Films - A film outfit that existed from 1995 to 1998, with a brief revival from 2002 to 2003. Initially headed by Eric Cuatico, Vincent III and Veronique took over the helm in 1997 after Cuatico left for rival film company Star Cinema. *Falcon Films - A film outfit that existed from the 1980s to 1998. Some of its films under the banner were produced by Allan Gilbert of ATB-4 Films.


Filmography


See also

*''
Sine Novela ''Sine Novela'' () is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is a television adaptation of the Philippine films. It premiered on April 30, 2007 on the network's Dramarama sa Hapon line up. The series conclude ...
'' – films of Viva Films remade by
GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
for afternoon drama in television from April 2007 via '' Sinasamba Kita'' to June 2010 via '' Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak''. *'' Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita'' – a non-
Sine Novela ''Sine Novela'' () is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is a television adaptation of the Philippine films. It premiered on April 30, 2007 on the network's Dramarama sa Hapon line up. The series conclude ...
created by Gilda Olvidado and Viva Films, remade by
GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
for primetime drama on GMA Telebabad.


References


External links

*
List of Viva Films Movies at IMDB.com
* {{Philippine television production companies and film studios 1981 establishments in the Philippines Entertainment companies established in 1981 Film production companies of the Philippines Mass media companies established in 1981 Mass media companies of the Philippines Philippine companies established in 1981 Philippine film studios Film distributors of the Philippines Companies based in Pasig