NEWSFLASH

---

FPJ VS. FOREIGN BLOCKBUSTERS

Manila, Jan. 3, 1998 - The movie industry will be watching and comparing box office income this weekend, when the Metro Manila Film Festival ends and Hollywood's biggest films begin competing anew with local movies.

Opening simultaneously on Sunday in movie theaters all over the Metro Manila area and nearby provinces are the following foreign major attractions: Tomorrow Never Dies starring Pierce Brosnan, Mel Gibson's Fairy Tale and Walt Disney's Flubber starring Robin Williams.

The only Filipino film that has any chance in the crowded field is "Ang Pagbabalik ng Probinsiyano" starring Fernando Poe Jr. and Anjanette Abayari, produced and directed by FPJ himself.

The movie is a sequel to "Probinsiyano" and was produced on a budget of P30 million, considered a gigantic budget by Philippine movie standards.

Filipino films took a beating from Hollywood productions last year, when more movie-goers preferred foreign films to local.

---