Thai cinema conquers Vietnamese audiences

Recently, many Thai films have been loved and achieved high revenue when coming to the Vietnamese market.

The Thai horror film "Tee Yod: Ghost Eater" part 2 has reaped high revenue in the Vietnamese market after the success of part 1. Previously, the film "Family Fortune of Foreigners" also made a lot of money at the box office when shown in Vietnamese theaters.

Continuously setting records

"Tee Yod: Organ-Eating Demon" part 2 tells the story of Yak's (played by Nadech Kugimiya) family life after 3 years of being possessed by a demon and having his internal organs eaten away. Despite his family's advice, he still searches day and night for clues about the mysterious black-clothed spirit to avenge his sister. Yak discovers that the organ-eating demon is being raised and controlled by the powerful shaman Puang. This shaman lives in seclusion in the "dead forest" Khamod...

"Tee Yod: Ghost Eater" directed by Taweewat Wantha, brings together actors: Nadech Kugimiya, Denise Jelilcha Kapaun, Nutthacha Jessica Padovan... Part 1 of this film was released to Vietnamese audiences in 2023, earning 54 billion VND, surpassing the previous "Descendants of Human Love" (35 billion VND).

Part 2 of "Tee Yod: Ghost Eater" opened early screenings from October 10 and quickly earned about 25 billion VND (equivalent to 1 million USD) with more than 333,000 tickets sold. With this result, the film set a record for the fastest Thai film to reach the 1 million USD mark in Vietnam to date. This achievement prompted the distributor to decide to open additional early screenings from October 14 to 17, before officially showing from October 18.

A scene from the movie “Tee Yod: The Ghost Eater” part 2. (Photo provided by the publisher)

As a result, "Tee Yod: Ghost Eater" part 2 earned 52 billion VND with just early screenings. According to statistics from Box Office Vietnam, as of noon on October 27, part 2 earned more than 86.8 billion VND and is still in theaters - surpassing part 1 to become the highest-grossing Thai horror film in Vietnam.

During a recent promotional event for part 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, talking about the reason why the film successfully conquered Vietnamese audiences, actor Nadech Kugimiya said: "I think Thailand and Vietnam are both countries in the Southeast Asian region, with similar social and cultural lives, especially in terms of spirituality. Perhaps that is also the reason why this film is easier to touch the hearts of Vietnamese audiences than other films."

Previously, the Thai film "Grandma's Fortune" - directed by Pat Boonnitipat, which explores the theme of family love - also reaped impressive revenue. Released in theaters on June 7, the film quickly won the hearts of Vietnamese audiences and has earned more than 89 billion VND. The film tells the story of a young man named M (played by Billkin) who accidentally receives information from his mother that his grandmother has cancer. Remembering his cousin Mui who inherited a house from her grandfather, M hopes to inherit her grandmother's property so she decides to return to her hometown to take care of her grandmother in her final days.

In the little time left, M did everything to become his grandmother's "favorite grandchild". However, having received many valuable lessons about family love, he no longer intended to inherit property like at first...

Can learn a lot

Given the development of Thai cinema, many in the industry believe that Vietnamese cinema can learn many things.

Film communications specialist Chau Quang Phuoc said "The fortune of foreigners" achieved a global revenue of 50 million USD (Vietnam over 89 billion VND, China 14.8 million USD...) - far surpassing the Vietnamese film with record revenue "Mai", with 21 million USD in the domestic market and 2 million USD abroad.

"It can be seen that one of the factors leading to the success of "Foreign Assets" is the effectiveness of the Thai film distribution channel system in the international market. Currently, in terms of international distribution, Vietnamese films still cannot compare with Thai films" - expert Chau Quang Phuoc commented.

According to experts, "The Legacy of Foreigners" has a running time of 125 minutes. Meanwhile, most commercial Vietnamese films are limited to such a length. Sometimes, Vietnamese films shown in theaters are only "limited" to 90-95 minutes in length, hoping to have more screenings. Perhaps that is why most Vietnamese films, when released in theaters, "run out of steam" in terms of emotion for viewers, both at home and abroad.

Ms. Vu Thi Bich Lien, Executive Director of Mega GS Entertainment and Media Group, worries: "Thai films often have good stories, good scripts, beautiful and professional actors. Meanwhile, Vietnamese cinema is still limited in terms of scripts and actors. Many actors in our country do not maintain their image and are not dedicated to their profession. After participating in a few films and gaining a little fame, they turn to business, selling online or opening restaurants, spas, etc.; not focusing on honing their profession."

Producer Hoang Quan said that the recent success of Thai films in the Vietnamese market is due to the strong support their filmmakers have received from state management levels. Typically, the platform https://thai.film was developed with the participation of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) and the program "Thailand Where Films Come Alive". This combination has created an effective support channel, helping Thai films spread, connect with foreign partners and easily participate in the global film market.

According to insiders, Vietnamese cinema is in dire need of involvement from management agencies to develop long-term support programs, not only in production but also in promotional activities at international film festivals and fairs. In addition, Vietnamese filmmakers should continue to exploit unique cultural elements, invest in production quality, be creative in storytelling, and seek international cooperation opportunities...

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