Unprecedented Tet movie season at Vietnamese box office

The Lunar New Year film market in the Year of the Dragon (2014) faced an imbalance as Tran Thanh's "Mai" far surpassed its competitors in terms of revenue, screenings, and media coverage.

Tran Thanh's film "Mai". Photo: Producer

Notable Facts : As of February 22nd, the film "Mai" had surpassed 387 billion VND in revenue, far surpassing other films released at the same time, according to Box Office Vietnam data. The second-ranked film, "Meeting the Pregnant Woman Again," earned 67 billion VND, only one-fifth of Tran Thanh's film. The gap in revenue and screenings between "Mai" and the other films widened significantly from the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year). The Tet film race saw Tran Thanh break his own record, while "Mai" extended its success with each day of release. The immense pressure from "Mai" caused "Sang Den" and "Tra" to withdraw from theaters after only 3 days. Tran Thanh's third film, directed by Tran Thanh, almost completely dominated the market. Unlike "Mrs. Nu's House," which had to compete with "Sister Sister" for two consecutive Lunar New Year seasons in 2023, "Mai" was released under favorable circumstances, without facing any comparable rivals in terms of quality, effects, or star power. Right before the peak Valentine's Day season, "Mai" lost two competitors and received even more favorable screening slots. In an interview with Lao Dong newspaper, film critic Nguyen Phong Viet assessed the Vietnamese cinema market during this year's Tet holiday: “The 2024 Tet film season has two special things. Firstly, for the first time, two films withdrew from theaters after only three days of screening. They knew they couldn't compete with 'Mai,' which only had about 400 screenings per day and no way to recoup their investment. I think the film crews were slow to leave theaters; they should have temporarily stopped screenings from the very first day they were scheduled for 400 screenings per day. Secondly, the gap between 'Mai' and the other films is too wide. 'Meeting the Pregnant Woman Again' is only an average film. It can't be said that 'Mai' is an outstanding film, but 'Mai' is outstanding compared to the rest.” A new ticket frenzy emerges. The Tet season is a very special time for the Vietnamese box office. Audiences have a long holiday and ample finances. Many people don't watch movies all year, but they'll go to the cinema during Tet because they have free time and want to be entertained. Film revenue partly reflects the quality of the film and the audience's taste. It's understandable that "Meeting the Pregnant Woman Again" lagged behind and faded into obscurity when competing with "Mai," given the film's limitations in content and script. In recent days, a seemingly forgotten name has made a strong comeback thanks to word-of-mouth on social media. That's "Peach, Pho, and Piano"—a state-commissioned film that previously only had 3 screenings per day. Given the public's interest, Mr. Vu Duc Tung, acting director of the National Film Center, said that the screening schedule will be changed to reduce the number of screenings for "Mai" by 50% to make way for "Peach, Pho, and Piano." Experts call the explosion of "Peach, Pho, and Piano" an unprecedented phenomenon. But for this historical work to compete with "Mai" is unthinkable. It's impossible for a film completed in 2023, released more than 10 days before its official trailer, without a fan page, without promotion, and shown in only one theater with a limited number of screenings, to become a competitor to "Mai." As Mr. Nguyen Phong Viet commented, "Dao, Pho, and Piano" is merely a novel and rare offering, temporarily creating a ticket frenzy among Hanoi audiences. In reality, only a few state-funded films are commercially released and reach a wider audience. Private films have come a long way and created a significant gap with state-funded films in terms of making films for the audience. Clearly, comparing Tran Thanh's "Mai" with Phi Tien Son's "Dao, Pho, and Piano" is inappropriate because the two films have different objectives, characteristics, and strategies. Nevertheless, the ticket frenzy for "Dao, Pho, and Piano" is a positive sign for state-commissioned films.

laodong.vn

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