Audiences only like Tran Thanh's thriller and swearing movies, but criticize art films?

Are Vietnamese audiences preferring highly entertaining films, filled with sensationalism and swearing, over artistic films that have won high awards at international film festivals?

Ms. Nu's family was criticized for "indiscriminate swearing" - Photo: DPCC

Not only in recent years, films with gentle plots, containing humane messages that have won the hearts of previous generations or caused a stir at international film festivals... have been picky viewers.

This trend is not new. Artistic and humanistic films seem to be unable to compete with noisy, swearing and drama-filled films in Vietnamese theaters.

Are humanistic, artistic elements and pure entertainment trends in conflict with Vietnamese audiences' tastes?

Art or horror entertainment or Tran Thanh?

Recently, many world- famous movies have continuously hit Vietnamese theaters. Notable among them are: The wild robot (Wild robot) .

Wild Robot promotes sacred motherly love - Photo: IMDb

DreamWorks' production premiered at the opening of the Toronto International Film Festival with a strong impression. Deadline Call it a gem of modern cinema and boldly predict it will become a classic.

Before the premiere, Wild Robot was covered by major newspapers such as The Hollywood Reporter , Vanity Fair ... is predicted to be a strong candidate for the Best Animated Feature category at next year's Oscars.

In the international market, Wild Robot pocketed 233 million USD and is still maintaining stable performance even though it has been released for a month. However, when shown in Vietnamese theaters, the film only earned 26 billion VND.

Cam and Tee yod: Ghost Eater are the two latest horror films that have caused a fever at the box office - Photo: CGV

Is it true that as life becomes more and more stressful, life and horror films are meeting the need to relieve stress instead of being kind or thoughtful? The proof is Tee yod: Ghost Eater 2, Ghost Skin, Get Rich With Ghosts, Cam reached the hundred billion revenue milestone.

Over the years, Tran Thanh continuously have The Godfather , Mrs. Nu's house and Tomorrow successively reaped box office records, bringing him the title of "thousand billion director" thanks to exploiting family and conflict themes close to life.

Mrs. Nu's house Tran Thanh's uses too many swear words like "fuck you", "dog", "what the hell do you know"... continuously coming out of the characters' mouths.

Good movie Tomorrow Labeled 18+, Tran Thanh also does not hesitate to include vulgar words and bold sexual scenes.

Mrs. Nu's house is full of drama, swearing, and noise - Photo: DPCC

Regarding public reaction, Tran Thanh shared: "If someone says my movies have a lot of swearing, sometimes that person really hasn't watched it comfortably. When you go out on the street, you hear those sounds somewhere, right?

It is the breath of life, the culture of people. In the past, we used to say that movies had gangsters without a single swear word, not like gangsters at all.

Despite the controversy, Tran Thanh's movies continue to increase their box office revenue.

Recently, the audience was also excited when Tran Thanh launched the project. The Guardian Quartet For Tet 2025, the first poster shows chickens flying and dogs running, promising to be a comedy that will cause chaos in theaters.

It is clear that Vietnamese audiences are looking for "shocking" elements to increase entertainment.

People regularly consume short content on TikTok - Photo: TTD

What is the cause?

The above-mentioned tastes of contemporary Vietnamese audiences may come from many reasons. The pace of life and the habit of consuming short, "instant noodle" content like TikTok makes people easily attracted to quick, concise, and easily digestible experiences.

Therefore, to attract attention, many directors and producers choose to "compromise" to make films more accessible.

They create scripts with intense plots, characters are built in a more harsh and confrontational direction, to give the audience a "full" experience.

It is understandable that films that win awards at international film festivals but are not successful domestically are because these works are often highly artistic, have many layers of meaning, and require viewers to think and feel deeply.

In contrast, movies are more purely for entertainment purposes. This is not to say that audiences do not appreciate art, but they may not have the time or familiarity to enjoy stories that require deep reflection.

Another problem may lie in the way the film is promoted. Drama and thriller films easily create an effect on social networks, where viewers can discuss, debate and even "spread the word" for free.

This spread creates greater appeal for entertainment films than for art films, which often only convey subtle emotions that cannot be easily captured in short news stories or sensational posts.

And balancing commercial factors and artistic values remains a big challenge for Vietnamese cinema and the world in general.

May still has optimistic signs as a segment of young audiences gradually show interest in art films and independent films.

International film festivals or screenings dedicated to art films still attract a certain audience, showing potential for growth and opportunities to change tastes in the future.

Source