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Monday, September 15, 2008

Can KC top herself?

Can KC top herself?
DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda
Monday, September 15, 2008



I’m truly happy for the success of KC Concepcion and Richard Gutierrez’s movie, For the First Time. I know the two worked extremely hard to do a movie that they can be proud of and one that people would actually watch. There were many factors, not their doing but proved to be intense pressure points for the two; it was almost impossible for the two to star in a movie project together as both belong to two fiercely competitive networks. But it happened, so it could not not work. A mild hit would be a flop, after all it was a dream tandem.

This was KC’s first movie. She is the Megastar daughter. Upon conception she was a certified star. How could the movie not be a huge hit?

Richard is one of the country’s hottest young leading men. He has had a string of hits to his name. How can the movie not break records?

It was scary considering that they were following a huge box-office hit in A Very Special Love, a feel-good movie starring John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo. They had to outgross A Very Special Love.

The pressure was horrible. Both KC and Richard were nervous, even anxious. Nobody knew what was going to happen. Expectations were insanely high. How can royalties fail? And failure here was anything less than a gigantic hit. Star Cinema did everything it could to produce a movie worth watching and promoted the movie like there was no other.



For the First Time has on its team Bb. Joyce Bernal, a certified hitmaker, brilliant DOP Shayne Sarte, a formidable creative and production staff and actors that lent support to KC and Richard.

The premiere night had the first indication that this was a huge box-office hit. The Megastar herself was proud of her daughter’s work. The good Sen. Francis Pangilinan was happy with the movie. Fans were at Megamall Cinema 9 and 10 as early as 2 p.m. There was a mob at the premiere night of For the First Time. But skeptics still said that it was a premiere night so naturally there was a sea of people, curious to see KC, Richard and all the other stars. Would this translate to box-office success? Of course there were no clear answers yet.

Most people who had anything to do with the movie were still nervous. Anything could still happen. What if a big storm hits Manila? Or even a coup d’etat? What if people turn out to be uninterested? The night of the 28th of August until theaters opened on the 29th must have been one of the longest nights in Richard and KC’s life.

I saw the Megastar invite everyone to support her daughter’s movie. I started to get text messages from Annabelle Rama and Ruffa Gutierrez reminding friends that the movie was opening on the 29th. KC and Richard got the unequivocal support of their families and friends.

In the afternoon of Aug. 29, I called Roxy Liquigan, promo director of Star Cinema and supervising producer of The Buzz without letting Roxy realize my jitters. I casually asked how the movie was doing in the first few hours of its first day. “It’s a huge, huge hit!” Roxy declared. “Thank you,” I muttered — catching my breath — as if I were KC.

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