'Peach, Pho and Piano' ticket hunting service is booming

The movie "Peach, Pho and Piano" is constantly "selling out", causing ticket hunting services to increase, with the difference ranging from a few tens to hundreds of thousands of dong.

Released on the first day of Lunar New Year (February 10), shown only at the National Cinema Center, the film unexpectedly created a ticket fever with audiences. After two weeks, the film was shown at additional cinema complexes Cinestar and Beta Cinema. Beta Cinema has 18 cinemas nationwide while Cinestar has nine. Along with the National Cinema Center, these two systems only sell tickets directly, and cannot be booked online.

Ms. Mac Thi Thuy - in charge of the cinema room at the National Cinema Center - said that on February 26, the demand for movie tickets was still high. "Today, the Center showed more than 30 shows, all of which were sold out several days ago. Audiences lined up to buy tickets for the following days."

In addition to Hanoi, the desire to see movies of audiences in many other provinces and cities has also increased. In Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang on weekends, hundreds of audiences lined up at cinema complexes, waiting their turn. In Da Nang on February 24, audiences waited for hours in the hot sun to get a seat in the cinema. Many people spent at least an hour in line, and when it was their turn, the tickets were sold out or they could not choose a good seat, so they had to buy a seat for the next day.

In some places, the large number of buyers caused the printers to malfunction, forcing staff to write down ticket information for customers on paper. These images spread on social networks, increasing the "heat" of the film.

Audiences line up to buy tickets for the movie 'Peach, Pho and Piano'

Audience members talk about their feelings at the first screening of "Peach, Pho and Piano" in Ho Chi Minh City on February 22. Video: Tuan Viet

The difficulty of buying tickets and the limited number of screenings have led to the emergence of ticket hunting services. The original price is 50,000 VND, some cinemas limit each person to only buy about four or five tickets, if they want to buy more they have to queue again. The difficulty of buying tickets and the limited number of screenings have led to the emergence of ticket hunting services in many film groups. Audiences trade with a difference of 30 to 10,000 VND.

Most of the audience who come to the service are office workers who don't have time to queue but are curious and want to see a movie. Huong Giang, 34 years old, Hanoi, said she wanted to buy for an acquaintance who is a Vietnamese expatriate who has just returned to the country. She posted a request to buy a good seat at a price of about 150,000 VND each. Only 10 minutes after posting, Giang found a satisfactory ticket.

Vu Anh, 31, Hanoi, paid 200,000 VND for a pair at the National Cinema Center. According to this audience, the resale price is not too high, only equivalent to the original price at more modern theaters. "Some accounts advertise each ticket for up to 300,000 VND. But I think this price is difficult to sell," Vu Anh said.

Audiences line up to buy tickets for "Peach, Pho and Piano" in Ho Chi Minh City on February 22. Photo: Tuan Viet

The sellers are mostly amateurs, students or people living near the theater. Anh Thu (a student at the Academy of Journalism and Propaganda) said she buys tickets for people during the school holidays after Tet. Thu charges a difference of 30,000 to 40,000 VND for each ticket, mainly trading directly at the theater.

"At first, many friends and acquaintances asked me to buy for them. I didn't take any money, but people sent me extra money, so I came up with the business idea. I often lined up early, looked for nice seats, and advertised them in private groups," Anh Thu said. She sometimes had "accidents" because when it was her turn, there were no nice seats left, or buyers changed their minds at the last minute. However, the profit she has earned so far is still more, about two million VND in 10 days. She said the job brings joy, the capital invested is not too large, and there is little risk.

Unlike Anh Thu, Khanh Ly - a former student of Thang Long University - does not buy tickets in advance but orders them upon request. Khanh Ly's house is near a cinema in Thanh Xuan, Hanoi.

Ms. Mac Thi Thuy said that many audiences had bought fake tickets online. The unit could not resolve these cases because there was no official ticket code.

Trailer 'Peach, Pho and Piano'

Trailer for the movie "Peach, Pho and Piano". Video: Provided by the producer

Explaining the film's title, director Phi Tien Son said that "peach blossoms, pho, piano" could be three typical concepts, evoking the image and identity of Hanoi. If peach blossoms blooming in spring are closely associated with the consciousness of Hanoians, pho is both a delicious dish and closely associated with the culinary characteristics of the capital. And the sound of the piano, even in the historical period, still echoes from windows in big cities like Hanoi and Saigon, representing the beauty of life.

According to data from Box Office - a website that aggregates and analyzes box office revenue data, as of February 26, the film had a revenue of 2.35 billion VND. However, the website representative said the statistics were not entirely accurate, as theaters sold tickets directly.

Ha Thu

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