Behind Box Office Vietnam and the hundreds of billions and thousands of billions of Vietnamese films

Interface of Box Office Vietnam, the website that has "stirred up" the Vietnamese film market in recent years because it publicly disclosed film sales - which was previously exclusive information of producers and distributors - Photo: DPCC

On the evening of February 21, director Tran Thanh shared a screenshot of the movie Mai 's revenue on Box Office Vietnam with the number 400 billion - setting the fastest record in the history of Vietnamese movies.

Tran Thanh wrote: "Just checked on Box Office, 10pm on February 21, 2024. Mai , oh Mai! Thank you so much, dear audience!".

Previously, in January, producer Vo Thanh Hoa also shared a screenshot of Box Office Vietnam showing that the movie Quy Cau , which he produced, was topping the box office.

Vo Thanh Hoa wrote: "This is the 4th week and Mit continues to lead the box office. This is very precious to people in the profession like us!".

Whether a movie tops the box office or hits a milestone in revenue is information the producer can announce on its own.

But long-time filmmakers like Tran Thanh or Vo Thanh Hoa chose to share from Box Office Vietnam to increase objectivity, when an outside unit also recorded that information.

What impact is Box Office Vietnam having on the Vietnamese film market, as well as how to deal with conflicting opinions? Tuoi Tre Online finds out below.

The manufacturer said there is an error of about 10%.

Responding to Tuoi Tre Online , director and producer Vo Thanh Hoa commented: "I find the figures on Box Office Vietnam quite accurate, with an error of about 10%.

10% is an estimate, but with my films the numbers are all approximate, so I find them valuable for reference."

As the director or producer of several blockbuster movies, including hundred billion dollar movies such as Super cheat meets super mud, Ghost dog, Vo Thanh Hoa thinks that the appearance of Box Office Vietnam is positive for the market.

Producers Vo Thanh Hoa and Hoang Quan talk about errors and the impact of Box Office Vietnam on the market - Photo: Facebook characters

He said: "This helps the market become more transparent. Audiences have another reference channel. Professional film business and investment people can analyze data to understand the market and audience better."

Producer Hoang Quan of ProductionQ (film Soul Eater, Ghost Story Near Home ) commented that the numbers on this page "are not very accurate, there is always an error of about 10% depending on the film and genre.

With the films we produce, the revenue varies quite a bit, some films are lower and some are higher."

Producers always have the most accurate reports on revenue from distributors. If the numbers on Box Office Vietnam differ from reality, they will have to explain to investors why the two figures do not match.

However, producer Hoang Quan acknowledged that Box Office Vietnam is being considered a reference source for the film industry and audiences.

Detailed data on ratings or number of screenings on Box Office Vietnam is quite realistic and useful for filmmakers, making them follow this page regularly.

"When customized statistics are needed over time, BOVN's data gives quite general results about revenue (although not 100% accurate) by genre or by each film, showing audience tastes and the level of distribution of screenings, and the competitiveness of each film at certain times.

From the perspective of media and film distributors, this is very interesting information" - Mr. Hoang Quan said.

Box Office Vietnam founder talks about suspected "market manipulation"

During the recent Tet holiday, when the box office was bustling with record revenue of the movie Mai (increasing rapidly every hour on Box Office Vietnam), some viewers also questioned the operation and accuracy of this site.

Some people ask who is behind this site, is the data reliable?

Responding to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Khanh Duong - founder of Box Office Vietnam, living in Hanoi, better known as the screenwriter of the comic book Long Than Tuong - denied the information that this site operates anonymously.

The sales of some hot movies were recorded by Box Office Vietnam at noon on February 22. Among them, the sales of the movie "Dao, Pho and Piano" were admitted by the founder to have a large error. The reason was that the data could not be obtained from the National Cinema Center because the website and app were down - Photo: Screenshot

Mr. Khanh Duong said: "I don't know why people think Box Office Vietnam operates anonymously.

Since 2019, we have operated independently but not anonymously. I have maintained regular phone contact and face-to-face meetings with representatives of the 6 largest cinemas in Vietnam, film studios that produce 80% of the films on the market, as well as domestic culture and entertainment reporters.

I think except for outsiders, many people working in the film industry have contacted and exchanged with me.

Box Office Vietnam's algorithm is said by its founder to be "not too complicated". The website uses public data, which is the number of tickets sold for each screening, which is publicly announced by theaters in the ticketing system.

This data is processed, cleaned and put into detailed statistics to help people have a complete view of the market.

"Just imagine, in the past, media channels and newspapers often posted pictures on ticket sales websites of "overwhelming number of screenings" or "cinemas almost filled to capacity".

Box Office Vietnam also does the same job: go to the ticket sales website and record information, but automatically and systematically, with specific data recorded" - the founder said.

Regarding the suspicion that Box Office Vietnam "manipulates the market", Mr. Khanh Duong said: "To anyone who doubts our data, I only have one request: If you say our data is wrong, please prove it or send correct data."

Regarding the "independent statistical unit" nature of this site, Mr. Duong said that the site operates independently from the internal reports of the production and distribution units.

Director Nhat Trung once argued with Box Office Vietnam about the box office data of the movie The Eyes of the Yin and Yang in 2020 - Photo: Facebook Nhat Trung

Box Office Vietnam was once invited to work because a producer complained

Mr. Nguyen Khanh Duong said that in the beginning when he created the website, he faced fear and caution from film production units.

During Tet 2019, Mr. Duong was invited to work with the authorities in Hanoi, because a Tet film production unit objected to the website publishing data. After a working session and a clear explanation, everything was resolved.

Tet 2020, Box Office Vietnam had a big argument with a Tet film producer. Specifically, this was the incident with director Nhat Trung - the producer of the film Doi Mat Am Duong.

Accordingly, the producer announced that the film topped the box office, but sales on Box Office Vietnam showed that The Eyes of the Yin and Yang only came in second.

"But besides the controversies, we still receive phone calls asking questions, encouraging and supporting us from domestic film production units and from representatives of theaters," said Mr. Khanh Duong.

Nearly 6 years of operation

Box Office Vietnam has a website and a fanpage that operate in parallel. The page started posting its first box office chart on September 3, 2016, recording the National Day revenue on September 2 of that year.

In this ranking, the movie Nắng leads, the movie Tam Cam: Chuyen chua ke still has good revenue after 3 weeks of showing, while Red Gloves is quite weak.

By February 2017, the unit had the first record of revenue during Tet screenings, and the overall assessment was that Vietnamese films were failures.

These summaries later appeared more frequently and were posted after each weekend, much like the way international box office measurement units announce revenue.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dang-sau-box-office-vietnam-va-nhung-con-so-tram-ti-nghin-ti-cua-phim-viet-20240222114032779.htm