Philippines Himala returned 10.0× its production cost, earning $684K against a $68K budget — one of the highest-return Philippines films in our catalog.
Synopsis
“This is the miracle.”
When plain orphan Elsa begins having visions of the Virgin Mary, the rest of the residents of her isolated village find themselves questioning their own beliefs and values. Soon, Elsa is healing people with a variety of ailments. As word of this phenomenon spreads, tourists, pilgrims, patients and a documentary filmmaker all arrive on a quest to partake in the miracle.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #7 of 146 Philippines films indexed here (95th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +1.8 points above the Philippines average of 6.2/10.
Among Philippines Drama productions specifically: #7 of 82 (top 9%).
Budget & Box Office Efficiency
At a 2h 4m runtime, production spent $551 per minute on screen and earned $6K per minute back.
The 1981–1983 Philippines Window
Among 10 Philippines films we catalog from this window, Himala places #2 — near the top of its class.
The 1980s Philippines Landscape
1982 was the decade’s peak output year for Philippines — 5 titles released, including Himala. Bars below show how the 1980s stacked up year by year (21 total).
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 4 other Philippines films in 1982.
The 20th Philippines title from Philippines we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1964).
Our Philippines catalog contains 146 titles in total (134 films).
Audience Engagement
18 audience reviews — more than 60% of Philippines films in our index.
Review volume (60th percentile) outruns trending popularity (41th) — a durable title with sustained audience attention.
Production Details
| Primary Country | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Filipino |
| Production Companies | Experimental Cinema of the Philippines |
| Runtime | 2h 4m |
| Release Date | December 25, 1982 |
| IMDb | tt0125144 |
Questions Answered
Was Himala profitable?
Yes — Himala earned $684K against a production budget of $68K, a return of 10.0× its cost.
How highly rated is Himala?
Among Philippines Asian filmss in this catalog, Himala ranks #7 of 146 — in the top 5%.