Directors who were successful in their first films

FIRST MOVIE HAS COLLECTED HUNDRED BILLIONS

From early 2025 until now, two Vietnamese films that have attracted attention in terms of revenue are Thu Trang's Billion Dollar Kiss and Hoang Nam's Ghost Light . Notably, these are the first films of these directors. Thu Trang is not a strange name in the film industry as she has been a producer and actress in many online and film projects. However, with Billion Dollar Kiss , she has taken on a new role as a film director for the first time, also as a producer and actress. According to statistics from Box Office Vietnam, Billion Dollar Kiss has now surpassed the 200 billion VND mark.

Hoang Nam, Thu Trang, Trung Lun... are directors who have been successful right from their first film projects.

Meanwhile, "newbie" Hoang Nam unexpectedly became a "dark horse" with Soul Lamp . The surprise is because he is known as a YouTuber. In his first attempt at cinema, he took on most of the other important positions such as screenwriter, producer, and creative director. Soul Lamp has no box office stars, the film's quality also received mixed opinions, but it became a phenomenon. Up to now, director Hoang Nam's "brainchild" has surpassed the 100 billion VND mark.

Previously, Luu Thanh Luan also reaped "sweet fruit" when he boldly tried his hand at the role of director, collaborating with director Vo Thanh Hoa in the horror film project Quy Cau , earning 108 billion VND. Or director Trung Lun (Nguyen Nhat Trung) had an impressive "debut" with the film Getting Rich with Ghosts , with the participation of Hoai Linh, Tuan Tran, Diep Bao Ngoc... earning over 112 billion VND. These are rare Vietnamese spiritual horror films with high revenue.

MAKING YOUR FIRST FILM IS LIKE A "BET"

It can be seen that, not counting famous directors like Ly Hai, Tran Thanh, Nguyen Quang Dung, Victor Vu..., there are not many "newcomers" entering the film industry and achieving success. When making their first film, they will certainly face a lot of pressure and challenges. Because this is like a "bet" that filmmakers sometimes have to trade: if the film fails, their reputation will certainly be affected and the opportunity to continue with the film industry in the future will be significantly narrowed.

Trung Lun shared that many years ago, he had received many invitations to make movies but did not dare to try because he was not confident in his abilities. To prepare before entering the film industry, Trung Lun spent a long time cultivating through web drama and sitcom projects... because he wanted to go step by step, slowly but surely. When making his first film, Trung Lun said that he felt shaken by the comments of those around him. The male director was also surrounded by pressure, especially in terms of revenue. "Anyone who makes movies thinks about revenue. I decided to make movies to have money to take care of my family, so I accepted the pressure. When making a film, I hold the investor's money, so I have to be responsible for them. If the revenue fails, it is the director's fault and cannot be blamed on anyone else. And if the film makes a profit, I am also earning my own living," he said.

Trung Lun admits to “losing sleep” due to pressure on his next project after the success of Getting Rich with Ghosts.

RESPECT THE AUDIENCE

The fact that directors are successful right from their first projects is a good sign for the current Vietnamese film market. From there, many young directors will boldly try their hand, create quality works, increase the attraction and competition in the film industry. However, how to maintain success, especially improving the quality of films to meet the expectations of the audience is important. Because many directors who have made a name for themselves still fail in later projects, even suffering heavy losses.

In fact, many Vietnamese films today, despite having revenue of hundreds of billions, still face many controversies and criticisms about their quality. Recently, The Four Guardians, Billionaire Kiss and Ghost Lights, although making a lot of money, have not been highly appreciated by the audience for their script content and the actors' performances. The feedback from the audience should be something that filmmakers need to seriously consider and learn from, instead of looking for ways to blame or showing signs of complacency with themselves. Because the audience brings in revenue and determines the success or failure of the film, they need to be respected.

Regarding this issue, director Luu Thanh Luan once expressed: "I think that my first film will inevitably have many shortcomings. I understand that I need to learn and improve a lot, so I am willing to accept comments, compliments and criticisms from the audience." Meanwhile, director Trung Lun shared his opinion: "The audience reacts a lot, which means they are not satisfied. For me, there is no excuse. If the film is good, the audience will accept it, and if the film is not good, it is the director's fault, there is no need to argue. Winning the first project is just the first step, because many winning projects can be due to "luck". If you want to go the long way, the director needs to be more serious, grasp the audience's tastes, learn more instead of being complacent. After each project, I will ask why I won. I have to do well based on the audience's comments on the first film. If the audience is not satisfied, I have to learn from experience and change."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-dao-dien-thanh-cong-ngay-phim-dau-tay-18525022021400783.htm