THE blockbuster drama that made stars of Kristine Hermosa and Jericho Rosales will see another happy ending as ABS-CBN is set to recreate the prime television series next year.
The love story of Yna Macaspac and Angelo Buenavista, the main characters in a top-rating soap opera that aired between 2000 and 2002, will be revived by the popular love team of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. It is also the tandem’s first foray into heavy drama.
Dubbed as the first “teleserye” and the most successful local television series, Pangako Sa ‘Yo serves as one of the influential primetime dramas of recent history because of its appeal to local and foreign audience. After having several reruns, it was subsequently shown in more than 20 different countries and even had a local adaptation in Cambodia.
Whether or not it is the lack of possible material why the Kapuso network is reviving it, the KathNiel fans are not complaining about this upcoming television project. To begin with, KathNiel, for numerous occasions, has proven its star power that it can even make crappy film a blockbuster. What people are not excited about is the fact that recreating or tweaking scripts from the original show changes the entire storyline.
Perhaps, making Pangako Sa ‘Yo relevant to younger generation is not a bad idea but instead of recreating the classic drama, why not make an original one? Given that KathNiel is headlining the project, ratings and return of investment should no longer be an issue.
Richard loses box office charm
A few years ago, the idea of a big-budget fantasy or a drama film for Richard Gutierrez would have been a pretty big deal. But yet here we are, looking at how Overtime, his latest film, failed miserably at the tills.
The suspense thriller, which premiered over a month ago, grossed less than a million pesos amid receiving a B Rating from Cinema Evaluation Board.
In this movie, Richard portrays a hacker who seeks revenge against a pharmaceutical company. He goes to a deadly mission by sending Lauren Young, his leading lady in the film, to wear a bomb to a press conference. It is pretty much a deadly game that takes both two characters in a tension field episode as the bomb ticks down to zero.
But Overtime is not the first Richard Gutierrez movie that brutally tanked at the local box office. His last movies had the same fate. In 2013 alone his movies with Marian Rivera and with his real-life partner, Sarah Lahbati, both received lukewarm reception from the viewing public. My Lady Boss earned P19 million while Seduction grossed just over P6 million. These figures are a far cry to what his previous films raked in at the box office: My Best Friend’s Girlfriend (2008) grossed P115 million; For the First Time (2009) earned P134 million; and I Will Always Love You (2006) that sold over a P100 million worth of movie tickets.
Is the one-time Box Office King just starring in badly-made films or is it simply because he is no longer the same big star that he was before? For that matter, although he is arguably in his prime, can we still consider Richard a movie star?
VERY WANG 