Previously, film adaptations of Nguyen Nhat Anh's novels were considered a box office guarantee. However, with "Once Upon a Love Story," things seem to have changed.
Over the past decade, adapting the literary works of author Nguyen Nhat Anh for the big screen has become a trend. I see yellow flowers on green grass (2015) or Blue Eyes (2019) created a box office sensation upon its release. Not to mention, The girl from yesterday (2017) also had relatively impressive revenue.
Since then, Once upon a time there was a love story. recently Kaleidoscope It will continue to be adapted in the future, with the hope of building on the success of previous works.
But in reality, Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story , after 6 days of screening, has not created the effect expected. The film grossed over 12 billion VND (according to The Box Office figures in Vietnam are far lower than the three previous works. It's highly likely that film adaptations of Nguyen Nhat Anh's stories will no longer be a guarantee of box office success.
Success or failure when adapting Nguyen Nhat Anh's stories to the screen?
I see yellow flowers on green grass This was the first work by Nguyen Nhat Anh to be adapted into a film. In 2015, Victor Vu's film of the same name created a box office sensation. 22 billion VND Revenue generated in the very first week.
In fact, it's not too difficult to understand why the aforementioned work was such a huge success. "I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass ," being one of Nguyen Nhat Anh's bestselling books, already had a relatively large audience.
The film is also directed by Victor Vũ, who, a year earlier, created a box office sensation. Blood heart (2014). In addition, with funding 20 billion VND I see yellow flowers on green grass It was also one of the most expensive film projects in Vietnamese cinema at the time.
And finally, in terms of genre and storytelling style, the film also stands apart from many Vietnamese films of that time. In a box office dominated by comedy and horror films, it was the gentle visuals and a poignant story that helped it succeed. I see yellow flowers on green grass to leave a unique mark.
All of that raised audience expectations for the film higher than ever, and in fact, Victor Vũ's brainchild attracted significant attention from the moment the first images were revealed. The film ended its theatrical run with 81 billion VND, ranking third on the list of highest-grossing films at the time.
Success of I see yellow flowers on green grass It paved the way for many other books by Nguyen Nhat Anh to be adapted for the big screen. Furthermore, it also shaped the audience's experience when watching those works. It's a gentle, nostalgic style of cinema, set in the 1990s, with stories focusing on friendship and romantic love.
The girl from yesterday and Blue Eyes They both share a similar atmosphere, and both follow in the same footsteps. I see yellow flowers on green grass to become films with impressive box office revenue. In particular, Blue Eyes Victor Vũ's film created an even stronger box office sensation than his two previous works.
The film reached the 50 billion VND mark after just 3 days of release, simultaneously creating a buzz across all media platforms. Concluding its theatrical run, Blue Eyes pocket total 180 billion VND . Meanwhile, The Girl from Yesterday also brought in... 70 billion VND - a relatively impressive number.
The three works, despite still having some limitations, such as the overly drawn-out storyline, The girl from yesterday or the somewhat cheesy way of expressing love "Blue Eyes ," but all three were successful, even hugely successful. From then on, the stories of writer Nguyen Nhat Anh gradually became a "gold mine" for Vietnamese filmmakers.
When Nguyen Nhat Anh's stories are no longer a box office guarantee.
Once upon a time there was a love story, Directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh, this is the fourth film adaptation of Nguyen Nhat Anh's books.
The film received quite positive feedback from audiences and critics after its initial screenings. The story was described as simple yet full of emotion, and the visuals as nostalgic and aesthetically pleasing. Many viewers rated it highly. Once upon a time there was a love story. It has outstanding quality compared to the average Vietnamese film in 2024.
However, in contrast to the positive reception regarding its quality, the film's box office performance hasn't been explosive. After 6 days of release, the film has grossed 12.5 billion VND. On October 30th, the film only had 1,606 screenings, a rather modest number for its opening week.
In fact, Once upon a time there was a love story. It is a purely romantic work, without mixing in other genres. Because of this, the film lacks significant psychological climaxes and intense plot developments; it focuses simply on the interactions between the characters.
Perhaps that's why the film struggles to attract audiences seeking intense emotions at the cinema. In Vietnam, purely romantic films have a relatively niche audience. The most recent example is... Saigon in the rain (2020) also suffered heavy losses and quickly left theaters.
Moreover, that gentle, less dramatic tone, combined with the film's 135-minute running time, can sometimes become a challenge for many viewers. Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story, the film tells the tale of three characters from three different perspectives and settings. With its dense plot twists, every event in the film appears and concludes logically, but this very structure makes the film drawn-out and less appealing to a wide audience.
Ultimately, Trinh Dinh Le Minh's brainchild was released at a time that wasn't ideal, having to compete with both Vietnamese films and Hollywood blockbusters.
Released at the same time as Once upon a time there was a love story. To be Venom: The Final Fight - The superhero brand is very popular in Vietnam. In fact, director Kelly Marcel's film is dominating the box office race with 47 billion VND in revenue.
Besides, Once upon a time there was a love story. (with 1,606 screenings on October 30th) also has to compete with The bride from a wealthy family and Tee Yod: Organoeater 2 (1,517 and 949 screenings respectively on the same day). Currently, the domestic box office is a competition between 4 films.
In films adapted from Nguyen Nhat Anh's stories, only Once upon a time there was a love story. They faced such fierce competition. Before that, Blue Eyes It only has to compete with one Vietnamese film. Sisters (2019). The rest, both I see yellow flowers on green grass and the girl from yesterday They were all released at a time when there were no Vietnamese films, while other international works also lacked sufficient appeal.
Given the current situation, it is relatively difficult to... Once upon a time there was a love story. It caught up with its three predecessors in terms of revenue.
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