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Critics say this year's Tet movie season is interesting, full of surprises and has many continuous "twists". "Den Am Hon" is one of them and is gradually establishing achievements.

Hoang Kim Ngoc as the shaman Lieu. (Photo: Provided by the film crew)

After 3 days last weekend (7-9/2), "Ghost lights" by director Hoang Nam has earned 44 billion VND according to Box Office Vietnam. The film regularly ranks second in daily revenue, closely following the revenue of "The billion dollar kiss." There was a time when horror films rose to the top of the charts despite the low number of screenings.

Medium "Ghost lights" reached about 2,095 servings/day on weekends, inferior to "The Billion Dollar Kiss" (director Thu Trang) with an average of 2,469 shows, "The Guardian Quartet" (Tran Thanh) 2,000 seats. Average price per ticket "Ghost lights" about 89,000 VND, corresponding to the mid-range segment.

As the two Tet movies are gradually cooling down, along with the heat of "Ghost lights" increased, on February 10, for the first time this work ranked at the top of the list. The heat from Hoang Nam's first film helped him leave his own mark.

It was noted that at some cinemas such as Cinestar, National Cinema Center, CGV, Beta… many “golden hour” shows were sold out due to the high demand for going to the cinema. The film crew’s promotional tour and audience interaction (cinetour) also contributed to creating word-of-mouth effects, creating curiosity about the film. In addition, Hoang Nam also has a large fan base on YouTube (4.25 million people).

Revenue figures for the last 3 days of the week according to Box Office Vietnam. (Photo: Box Office Vietnam)

Recorded at 12:00 on February 10, the movie "Ghost Lights" had the highest daily screening time for the first time. (Screenshot)

Launched on the 10th day of Lunar New Year 2025 (February 7), "Ghost lights" not exactly a Tet movie because the long holiday has ended, but still benefits from this effect. In the first days of its release (the first day of Tet At Ty - January 29), "The Panthers" have rapidly increasing revenue. "The billion dollar kiss" could only get ahead about a week later (8th), when "The Panthers" received more negative feedback than positive.

However, the situation made Thu Trang's happy day "short-lived" when "Ghost lights" debuted and quickly became a new "rival", creating a "twist" for the first movie season of this year.

Critics have given much praise to the film and the director's determination. Screenwriter Nguyen Thi Hong Ngát commented that horror films are a difficult genre to make because they require many special effects, filming at night... and although they are horror films, they still have many humanistic values, integrating the spiritual world with the living and the dead, with family ties, warm neighborhoods, and affection...

"Story 'The Lady of Kwangtung' The ending is sad, but the director cleverly used his genre to bring the female lead back to her husband and children."

The boy Linh (in the original story, he is Dan) and the strange lamp in the movie. (Photo from the movie)

Critic Le Hong Lam also commented: The film is visually impressive, although some of the special effects are not realistic but are acceptable. The art design is creative and sticks to tradition to praise national culture. Many cultural features and customs in the North are cleverly incorporated into the film. The costume design is also very elaborate and the cinematography (filming, images) creates emotions with many creative shots. The sound and music also leave more or less of an impression.

Critic Le Hong Lam acknowledged director Hoang Nam’s dedication and boldness in not only taking on the five positions of producer, creative director, editor, screenwriter and director, but also in deciding to sell two apartments. “His boldness is now bearing fruit,” he commented.

Mr. Lam was somewhat surprised with his debut work because it had the quality of a decent horror film with the meticulousness and confidence of a famous director.

“I am glad that the Vietnamese film industry has another "genuine" film director. What is even more commendable is that Hoang Nam is a rare Northern director in the current commercial film industry, most of whom are concentrated in Saigon. Among the three directors whose recent works have been released to the public are Khuong Ngoc with Sister in law , Thu Trang with Billionaire Kiss and Hoang Nam with Ghost lights, I rate Hoang Nam's cinematographic skills and ambition the best," he assessed.

Director on the set of "Ghost Lights." (Photo: Provided by the film crew)

However, Mr. Lam also said that the script is a minus point because it is "too safe and there is no character that really stands out."

According to the reporter at the theater, some audiences also had similar comments. Some recorded opinions include: "At first, the movie was suspenseful but later it became more predictable, especially after the identity of the ghost was determined"; "The plot is still quite simple and safe, not creative or going too far from the original" 'The Tale of Kieu' so it's no longer interesting," "The movie is like knowing the ending right away, no need to watch the rest".../.

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