Regal Entertainment's Mother Lily Monteverde passes away, 85

BY ROBERT REQUINTINA

Aug 4, 2024 04:51 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Mother Lily's demise came six days after her husband, Remy Monteverde, passed away on July 29. He was 86.

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Lily Monteverde (Dondon Sermino)

Film producer Lily Yu Monteverde, popularly known as Mother Lily, passed away early Sunday morning, Aug. 4. She was 85.

Mother Lily's demise came six days after her husband, Remy Monteverde, passed away on July 29. He was 86.

She is survived by her children Winston, Meme, Roselle, Dondon and Goldwin; in-laws Stephen and Grace and granddaughter-in-law Winni; grandchildren Keith, Theo, Bridget, Matthew, Redwin, Jewel and Kristen; and great-grandchild Mikayla. Mother Lily's death was confirmed by her family in an official statement released on Sunday, Aug. 4. The. cause of her death was not revealed.

The wake and memorial service for her will be held at 38 Valencia Events Place in Quezon City beignning Aug. 5, 3:30 p.m. to 12 midnight; and Aug. 6-Aug. 9, 10 a..m. to 12 midnight.

The daily novena will be held at 5:30 p.m. and mass at 7 p.m.

Regal Entertainment's Mother Lily, a beloved showbiz figure, pioneered a significant era in the entertainment industry, producing blockbuster movies in the 70s and 80s.

Mother Lily, CEO and President of Regal Entertainment, was reponsible for the popularity of many stars known as Regal Babies including Maricel Soriano, Snooky Serna, Dina Bonnevie, Gabby Concepcion, William Martinez, Albert Martinez, 

In 2022, during an interview for pep.ph, Mother Lily said she wished to live up to 100 years old.

Then in 2000, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Cinemanila International Film Festival. 

Mother Lily also received the Fernando Poe Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in the 37th Luna Awards in 2019.

In 2021, Regal Entertainment ventured into television when it partnered with GMA Network.

“Regal Entertainment has always kept a cordial and happy relationship with GMA-7. Not only as a business partner but as a friend. Through so many years of our film production, GMA has always been an ally, the supporter of our endeavors. 

"That is why it is only fitting that in these more crucial and critical times, we remain together. We are strong together in providing the kind of entertainment that our audiences need. 

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity, to affirm our friendship and alliance. Thank you for believing in Regal Entertainment in reaching out to our Filipino audience to share the wealth of our years of film production. 

"Thank you for giving the next generation the bigger chance to see Regal and GMA go together through this extraordinary period and
on to their post pandemic times. Maraming salamat po.”

With a $97M second weekend, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ sets a new high mark for R-rated films

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aug 5, 2024 10:12 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Hollywood closed July with its best month in a year and its first $1 billion month since July 2023.

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Deadpool and Wolverine (AP) 

NEW YORK (AP) — After 10 days in theaters, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is already the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, not accounting for inflation.

In its second weekend, the Marvel Studios blockbuster starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman continued to steamroll through movie theaters, collecting $97 million according to studio estimates Sunday. That raised its two-week total to $395.6 million, pushing it past the long-reigning top R-rated feature, “The Passion of the Christ,” which held that mark for 20 years with $370 million domestic.

Worldwide, the Shawn Levy-directed “Deadpool & Wolverine” has quickly amassed $824.1 million in ticket sales, a total that already surpasses the global hauls of the first two “Deadpool” films. The 2016 original grossed $782.6 million worldwide; the 2018 sequel collected $734.5 million. 

The weekend’s primary challengers both struggled.

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, “Trap,” managed a modest opening of $15.6 million at 3,181 theaters for Warner Bros. The film, starring Josh Hartnett as a serial killer hunted by police at a pop concert, didn’t screen for critics before opening day and scored lower in reviews (48% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) than Shyamalan’s films typically do. Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore.

With a budget of about $35 million that Shyamalan largely finances himself, “Trap” didn’t need a huge opening. But it may struggle to break even.

“This is a soft opening for an M. Night Shyamalan suspense crime thriller,” wrote David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment. “The writer/director’s movies out-earn other original thrillers by a wide margin, and that’s true here, but this start is not on the level of recent Shyamalan films.”

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The live-action “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” adapted from the classic kids book, also didn’t make much of a mark in theaters. Th,e Sony Pictures release debuted with $6 million. It, too, got dinged by critics (28% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), though audiences (an A- CinemaScore) liked it more. “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” which stars Zachary Levi, cost about $40 million to make.

“Twisters,” the Universal Pictures disaster film, continues to kick up a storm at the box office. It held in second place with $22.7 million in its third weekend. Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel to the 1996 original, starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, has racked up $195.6 million domestically. While it has made less of an impression overseas, “Twisters” is holding particularly well in North American theaters, down just 35% from the week prior.

Hollywood closed July with its best month in a year and its first $1 billion month since July 2023. While comparisons to last year aren’t favorable — July was when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” launched — a pair of Walt Disney Co. releases in “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” (the two top films of the year) powered a banner month for the movie industry.

There will still reminders, though, of harder times in cinemas earlier in the spring and early summer, when a sparse release calendar and a few notable flops put the box office at a deficit. On Friday, AMC Theatres, the largest North American chain, posted a $32.8 million loss for the second quarter of 2024.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $97 million. 

2. “Twisters,” $22.7 million.

3. “Trap,” $15.6 million.

4. “Despicable Me 2,” $11.3 million.

5. “Inside Out 2,” $6.7 million.

6. “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” $6 million.

7. “Longlegs,” $4.1 million.

8. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $1.4 million.

9. “Daaru Na Peenda Hove,” $615,782.

10. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $600,000.