LunchBox and Lennon Group team up to bring Filipino cinema audiences back
A queer indie film without big stars and without budget is bringing audiences to the cinemas in the Philippines, No big budget, No fancy premiere, No mall tour, No paid media, just pure heart, fun and community. That’s how the queer film ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’ is getting all the love for how it’s marketing the film.
The campaign was made in collaboration with entertainment marketing agency LunchBox and creative agency for social impact Lennon Group. A collab that didn’t just market a film, but mobilized a community and lit a fire that’s hard to resist.
“The unconventional and community-rooted approach to marketing ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’ has proven to be a success. Despite today’s challenging climate where Filipino audiences are selective with what films they choose to watch, the campaign was able to cut through and spark genuine participation,” says Carl Chavez, Founder of entertainment marketing agency LunchBox.
The experience started with Invites That Spoke the Streets.
“Forget fancy envelopes. We sent handwritten notes on bus tickets, tissue paper, pad paper, and receipts that were not only tactile and delightfully unexpected, they were also deeply symbolic of the film. These weren’t just invites. They were relics of the lives the film portrayed. A love letter to the everyday,” said Chavez.
Then the characters came alive on a Grindr Live Tour. They didn’t do a mall tour, they mounted a movie tour in the most unexpected but also most relevant platform, Grindr. They made it their stage and dropped location after location. They brought the film’s characters to life on the app – chatting, flirting, connecting.
And finally, The Premiere saw no luxury cinema. No red carpet. No fancy food and drinks. The film premiered at Isetann Recto, Manila’s iconic, gritty, underground cinema, an unusual place for a premiere but a usual spot of queer cruising and quiet rebellion. An homage to the the OG cinema that cradled lots of independent films and the queer community all these years.
In the cinema, the film recreated an experience that is undeniably underbelly of Manila streets. Guests were ushered in by go-go boys. KTV bar, massage parlor, street food and dirty ice cream carts lined the aisles. And the macho dancers made such unexpected but much welcome live interactive performances.
“Everything about the campaign was experiential and immersive in ways that tell the heart of the film,” says Raymund Sison, Founder of Lennon Group. “It was an ode to the every day in the underbelly of Manila streets, and it was a testament to the enormous power of community.”
The campaign was sustained with grassroots collaborations with local community brands — from micro cinemas to cafes to craft stores to restaurants — each effort helped transform the film into more than just a screening—it became a cultural moment.
“In a time when cinema attendance is in decline, the response to Some Nights I Feel Like Walking is a reminder that the Filipino audience is still here—waiting for stories that speak to them and campaigns that treat them as communities, not just consumers,” said Sison.
