Maid in Malacanang still showing in Dubai this September

The Maid in Malacañang electronic poster (bottom, left) is shown in VOX Cinemas in City Centre Deira on September 24, 2022. EXPAT MEDIA

Director Darryl Yap’s Maid in Malacañang is still showing in Dubai, with screenings available until September 28, Expatmedia.net has learnt. The film, which was released in UAE theaters on August 19, reached its 38th day in the country on Sunday (September 25), making it one of the most watched Filipino movies released in the emirates. A VOX Cinemas representative said the movie screening may still be extended after September 28, when all movie screening dates are updated at midnight. Maid in Malacañang is showing at VOX Cinemas' Deira City Centre branch. Nearly 90 percent of seats in Vox Cinemas' theatre 12 were filled when Expatmedia.net checked on Saturday. "I just could not miss watching it," a Filipina expat told Expatmedia.net. According to reports, Maid in Malacañang has become the third highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time, with more than P650 million in gross sales. Set in 1986, the movie shows the “last 72 hours of the Marcoses inside the presidential palace through the eyes of a ‘reliable’ source”. Yap, the young film director, said inputs from Senator Imee Marcos, the film’s creative producer, helped him write the script in just two days. He filmed the movie in just ten days. Read more on this “I already knew what I wanted to show. I met with Senator Imee for six months already,” Yap said at a press conference in Dubai in August. Which character does he relate to the most? “The character of Biday,” Yap told Expatmedia.net. Biday is one of the real-life maids in Malacañang whose experience with the Marcoses is depicted in the movie.

Darryl Yap reacts to nasty comments on Maid in Malacañang:

Maid in Malacañang stars Cesar Montano as former president Marcos Sr., Ruffa Gutierrez as former first lady Imelda Marcos, Cristine Reyes as Imee Marcos, Diego Loyzaga as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and Giselle Sanchez as the late president Cory Aquino. Reyes, who was handpicked by Imee to play as her younger version in the movie, said it was an "honor" to be part of the film. Answering an Expatmedia.net question, the actress shared that she could relate most to her character as Imee. “She’s really like me. I’m very perfectionist,” the actress said, “Playing Senator Imee Marcos, for me, is an honor. Ang sarap niyang gampanan dahil hindi sya nalalayo sa kung sino ako (It’s a great role to do because it’s not far from who I am),” she added. ICA/BKM/ Expat Media