Vietnamese cinema at the end of 2024: Which films are likely to reach "hundred billion" in revenue?

Among the films released at the end of 2024 are names familiar to readers of Nguyen Nhat Anh's books, crews that have earned hundreds of billions in previous years, and even cases that have been welcomed by the independent film industry.

After a relatively gloomy summer for domestic cinema, Vietnamese filmmakers are starting to return to the box office at the end of the year. According to Moveek statistics as of October 24, there are expected to be 7 Vietnamese films released in November and December. Specifically, November will see the films "Ngay Xua Co Mot Tinh" (November 1), "Culi Khong Bao Khong Khong Cuong" (November 15), "Linh Mieu" (November 22) and December will have "Cong Tu Bac Lieu " (December 6), "Doi Thong Hai Mo", "Kaleidoscope" (December 27) and "Nha Gia Tien" (December 28). Observers say that the films with the potential to reach "hundreds of billions" are all films with box office guarantees in the past, and there are no signs of a breakthrough in 2024.

Potential from “brands”

Up to now, writer Nguyen Nhat Anh is still one of the authors with the most stories adapted into Vietnamese movies. After “Mat Biec” and “I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” both had the highest revenue at the time of release and were well received by critics, this year, “Ngay Xua Co Mot Tinh” and “Kinh Kale” continued to be released in theaters. “Kinh Kale” is considered the most promising name. The film is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name directed by Vo Thanh Hoa and produced by Galaxy Studio. This is also the producer who made two movies “Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh” and “Mat Biec.” Despite being released at the same time as two other Vietnamese movies, one of which ( Doi Thong Hai Mo ) also exploited the nostalgic atmosphere and was also made by a director who had made “hundreds of billions”, “Kinh Kale” is still predicted to be the “dark horse” at the box office at the end of this year.

The three main actors of the TV series "Kaleidoscope" play cameo roles in the movie. (Photo: Provided by the film crew)

Mr. Nguyen Khanh Duong, founder and operator of the platform that tracks the developments of cinemas in Vietnam - Box Office Vietnam, said that the film features a famous cast of old TV series, is not limited by age and is made from a classic original work. "The other two films will have a hard time competing with 'Kaleidoscope', " Mr. Khanh Duong commented. Also according to the operator of Box Office Vietnam, "Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story" may be a bit weaker as the original story was only released in 2016, it will be more difficult to repeat the success of the previous two films, however, Vietnamese audiences are still ready to welcome a good work so there is still the potential to reach or exceed the "hundred billion" mark. "Linh Mieu" and "Cong Tu Bac Lieu" also have potential factors. Observers point out that “Linh Luc” could be the successor to “Quy Cau” - a box office phenomenon that earned 108 billion VND in early 2024. Both films exploit oral folk legends, with the Vietnamese supernatural elements that are loved by audiences. In addition, the crew is considered to be experienced and understand the market.

Actor Song Luan was chosen to play the role of Bac Lieu's son. (Photo: Provided by the film crew)

Meanwhile, “Cong Tu Bac Lieu” exploits a real character with many anecdotes associated with a luxurious life and dense with the cultural space of the West, which can achieve good sales if it wins the hearts of enthusiastic audiences in this region. From an overall perspective, Mr. Hoang Tuan - Acting Editor-in-Chief of The Gioi Dien Phim Magazine pointed out that the year-end film season has diversity, with significant efforts by Vietnamese filmmakers on the journey to go beyond the usual comedy, action and psychological genres of the past. However, box office success still comes from many factors. “In general, these films all have revenue expectations, there may be films that join the 'hundred billion club' but personally, I do not dare to confidently affirm that they will really explode,” Mr. Hoang Tuan commented.

No boom forecast

Cinema in 2024 continues to be overshadowed by two "giants" Tran Thanh and Ly Hai, when the works "Mai" earned over 551 billion VND and "Lat mat 7: Mot giau uoc" reached over 482 billion VND in domestic revenue (according to Box Office Vietnam). Meanwhile, the films with the potential to reach "hundreds of billions" this year are still predicted to be far from the achievements of the two films mentioned above, making it difficult to create any significant breakthroughs. On the other hand, the Vietnamese market is in a booming period but is no less unpredictable, the overall quality of the film is an important factor but not the only one that has a significant impact on revenue. "In addition to the film factor, there are also factors of time and trends... I will give an example of some early films of the booming Vietnamese film market, with quite high revenue, but if shown at this time, they could even be classified as disasters," said Mr. Hoang Tuan.

Completely in black and white, the movie "Coolie Never Cries" will be a different dish for audiences at the end of the year. (Photo: Provided by the film crew)

In recent years, the Vietnamese public has been more interested in independent films as well as art films, when these films are not only shown in small, special spaces, but also shown in commercial theaters. In general, the audience has a positive and open attitude, for example "Inside the Golden Cocoon", "Those Who Are the Children in the Mist" or "A Thousand Tastes of Humanity" (a French film by Vietnamese-American director Tran Anh Hung). This is considered a positive signal for "Culi Khong Bao Nhan Khong" - a Vietnamese film that has just won an award at the Berlin Film Festival and is about to be shown in theaters. In general, the diversity of genres not only in the mainstream but also in independent and art films is proof that domestic cinema is moving in the direction of healthy development. “A successful, high-quality film industry must be diverse, successful in many genres, many topics, content, many different filmmaking styles, both in films considered ‘mainstream’ as well as in independent films and auteur films. In my opinion, those are the real foundations, the key elements of a developed film industry,” said director Bui Trung Hai.

Vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/dien-anh-viet-cuoi-nam-2024-phim-nao-co-kha-nang-dat-doanh-thu-tram-ty-post987349.vnp