MANILA -- Sen. Imee Marcos on Friday credited the controversial movie "Maid in Malacañang" for the reopening of most cinemas in the Philippines, following a years-long lockdown triggered by the pandemic.

Marcos, who produced the movie, said she was "shocked" at how Filipinos received the film.

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"Nagulat talaga kami kasi more important than the success of the film, although it was a wonderful surprise, is the fact that we forced-open all the theaters, many, many theaters. Hindi naman lahat pero halos malapit-lapit na. Kaya natutuwa kamin sa suporta. Sa wakas nagbalikan na," she said.

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The film, directed by Darryl Yap, portrayed the Marcos family's last 72 hours in Malacañang Palace in February 1986, before they were flown out from Manila to Hawaii amid the People Power revolution.

It stars Cesar Montano as the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.; Ruffa Gutierrez as former First Lady Imelda Marcos; Cristine Reyes as Imee Marcos; Diego Loyzaga as Bongbong Marcos; and Ella Cruz as Irene Araneta.

The senator said the movie continues to be shown overseas, the latest in London.

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"Nagpapasalamat ako sa overwhelming support. We have been showing for upwards of 9 weeks, nag-premiere pa sa London at kung saan-saan," she said.

Marcos also shared her outlook on Philippine cinema and how to respond to the current challenges in the industry.

"I realized the real issue in the creative industry will be not the production so much but the distribution. Distribution has become the challenge in the creative industry, lalo na sa sine dahil sa pandemic. Mabuti na lang maraming ibang channels at platforms, like streaming services, pay per view, so on and so forth. I'm hopeful that this will continue," she said.

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Marcos used to be director-general of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines that helped produce classics such as "Himala" and "Oro, Plata, Mata."

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