Both Hoai Linh and Quyen Linh's films received mixed reviews.

On the occasion of September 2nd this year, besides "Ma da" which was shown before, there are 2 new Vietnamese films released in theaters. This is a rare occasion in recent years that domestic films have prevailed on the occasion of National Day.

After a gloomy summer due to a lack of Vietnamese films, several projects that were released failed consecutively, the theaters on the occasion of the September 2nd holiday witnessed a spectacular "turnaround" of domestic cinema. There were 2 new projects released at the same time, respectively Two Salts (Vu Thanh Vinh) and Get rich with ghosts (Nguyen Nhat Trung). Previously, Ghost by Nguyen Huu Hoang debuted and dominated the chart for many consecutive days.

With 3 Vietnamese films appearing on the occasion of National Day this year, the international film lineup is completely overshadowed, as there is no prominent name with the potential to compete for the top spot at the box office. This is a rare occasion in recent years that domestic films have prevailed on the occasion of September 2.

The box office landscape is changing.

Previously, in the past 5 years, Vietnamese films have continuously lost ground to foreign films. Since 2020, Vietnamese films have been absent from the September 2 holiday. With 20% of cinemas closed due to Covid-19, many projects have sought to postpone their release dates to wait for the right time. By 2021, cinemas were completely paralyzed, creating conditions for online streaming services to take over.

On the occasion of National Day 2022, only Zombie Island (Nguyen Thanh Nam) is released, competing head-to-head with dozens of international films with diverse genres, from animation, horror, thriller, action to comedy/romance... Zombie Island was commented as "Vietnamese zombie movie disaster", only earning 13 billion VND . Faced with the obscurity of domestic films, international projects are trying to "rake in the money". Among them, Go back in time to love you (Love Destiny: The Movie) of Thai cinema created a fever that lasted for many days, pocketing 85 billion dong

Two Vietnamese films will be released in theaters on the occasion of September 2nd this year.

In the same period of 2023, there were 2 Vietnamese films released: Touch happiness and Zombie Ferry. However, Touch happiness (Mai Long) is not interested by the audience because the topic and content are picky, only earning more than 2 billion dong . Same fate, Zombie Ferry (Nguyen Thanh Nam) - sequel to the "disaster" Zombie Island premiered a year earlier - continued to disappoint audiences. The film was shunned at home, ending its theatrical run with a gross of only 4 billion VND , causing heavy losses for the manufacturer.

Compared to previous years, the box office situation on the occasion of September 2nd this year has changed greatly.

In recent weeks, Vietnamese films have had a very positive run with Ghost skin Despite controversy over the content and side stories, the film still attracted a large number of moviegoers to the theaters, reaching the revenue milestone on August 28. 110 billion VND . The appearance of Ghost help domestic films attract the attention of audiences, after a gloomy summer film season with a series of loss-making projects such as 4th floor murder, Claws good The most beautiful summer .

Ride on the victory, Two Salts and Get rich with ghosts are expected to be the duo dominating Vietnamese theaters during the 2024 National Day holiday. Both are potential cards that the producer has released, with invested production. The favorable release time, not having to compete with international blockbusters, helps the duo have an easier chance to become a "box office hit".

According to the survey, there are only 4 foreign films released at the same time as Two Salts and Get rich with ghosts, respectively 200% Cool Wolf, Female Pilot, Super Dad: Battle on Ice together Hellboy: Demon War .

It is easy to see that international films on the occasion of September 2 this year are no longer overwhelming in quantity as in previous years. The film genres are also less diverse when 200% Cool Wolf and Super Chicken Dad: Battle on Ice are all animated, while The female pilot Korean comedy, Hellboy: Demon Wars horror genre

Not a popular brand or gathering famous stars, the content is not suitable for the taste of the general audience, the chance of surpassing the Vietnamese film duo of the 4 names mentioned above is almost zero.

Both films received mixed reviews.

Absence of strong competitors, Two Salts and Get rich with ghosts dominating the box office. Even Ghost (currently the name leading the total revenue chart) will also be at a disadvantage when the two new films are released, because it has entered the third week of release, the heat has decreased sharply.

Two Salts directed by Vu Thanh Vinh, revolves around Mr. Hai (played by Quyen Linh), a salt farmer who is a single father. When his daughter Muoi (Bao Ngoc) grows up, she dreams of moving to the city to change her life, which leads to conflicts with her father.

In counterbalance, Get rich with ghosts Directed by Nguyen Nhat Trung, the film revolves around a young man named Lanh (Tuan Tran), whose gambling addiction has repeatedly caused his father, Mr. Dao (Hoai Linh), to fall into poverty. Things become more dramatic after Lanh meets a witch (Diep Bao Ngoc), who promises to help him get rich.

Tuan Tran stars in Getting Rich With Ghosts, alongside Hoai Linh and Diep Bao Ngoc.

The intense match between Quyen Linh after 2 decades of absence from the silver screen and Hoai Linh after a period of "hiding" due to private scandals, received much anticipation. Both films have family themes that easily conquer Vietnamese audiences, and have something in common revolving around father-son love. The difference is that Quyen Linh's film chooses to delve into psychological elements, while Hoai Linh's film emphasizes comedy/horror elements.

Small advantage in audience size for Two Salts when labeled T13, while the competitor is a T16 movie. However, the cast of Get rich with ghosts owns many more attractive faces, typically Tuan Tran, Le Giang, or Hoai Linh himself was once the "king of the Vietnamese box office" for a long time.

After a special press screening, both films received mixed reviews, especially regarding the script and plot, which revealed many flaws. In their first time directing a film project, the storytelling styles of the two directors also had many differences.

Nguyen Nhat Trung with Get rich with ghosts chooses a narrative style that intertwines comedy and tragedy. However, the film's rhythm and atmosphere are not really effective. Many details are not well exploited, and the characters' psychological journeys are still unstable. In return, the acting of Tuan Tran and Hoai Linh is a bright spot. Both of them juggle quite rhythmically and in harmony.

Meanwhile, Vu Thanh Vinh tells a psychological story that is somewhat safe, with a flat atmosphere, lacking consistent highlights. Two Salts. His work has not yet clearly revealed the cinematic quality, the way of leading, the dialogue and the character's journey are somewhat dramatic. However, the performances of Hong Van and Quyen Linh have somewhat created sympathy with the audience.

Both works have many shortcomings. But if we have to put them on the scale, the story of Get rich with ghosts is more accessible and interesting.

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