On the evening of May 23rd, the film Phi Phong: Blood Demon of the Sacred Forest officially crossed the 200 billion VND mark in revenue after more than a month in theaters. On May 23rd alone, the film earned an additional approximately 270 million VND, becoming the only Vietnamese film remaining in the top 6 of the daily box office, amidst the dominance of foreign films.
In the context of a rapidly changing market after the April 30th holiday, the success of "Phi Phong: Blood Demon of the Sacred Forest" is considered a rare case of maintaining box office sustainability. Not only did it achieve great success in its initial release, but the film also maintained a stable audience while many other domestic projects almost disappeared from the box office charts.
From its early screenings, Phi Phong: Blood Demon of the Sacred Forest exploded onto the scene. The film continuously set remarkable milestones for the Vietnamese horror genre, such as pre-sale ticket revenue reaching 13 billion VND, a peak daily revenue of nearly 20 billion VND, and a 70 billion VND mark after only three days of release. After one week, the film surpassed 100 billion VND with over 1.2 million tickets sold.
At its peak, the film captured over 85% of the box office revenue, attracting approximately half a million viewers in just three days after its release. This also makes it the highest-grossing Vietnamese horror film in its early screenings to date.
The success of Phi Phong: Blood Demon of the Sacred Forest is due to its different approach to the horror genre, a relatively solid script, and avoiding the tendency of an exciting beginning followed by a lackluster ending. The film also scores points for the consistent performances of its cast, including Meritorious Artist Hanh Thuy, Kieu Minh Tuan, Diep Bao Ngoc, Doan Minh Anh, and a young Thai actor.
Besides the content, the release strategy also plays a crucial role. The team decided to release it early, from April 16th instead of the originally planned April 24th, taking a step ahead of other Vietnamese films of the same season such as "Heo 5 Móng," "Trùm Sò," "Anh Hùng," and "Đại Tiệc Trăng Máu 8."
This move helped Phi Phong: Blood Demon of the Sacred Forest quickly gain box office traction, generate word-of-mouth, and build a revenue advantage before the holiday season competition entered its most intense phase.
While Phi Phong: Blood Demon of the Sacred Forest is still holding its own at the box office, many other Vietnamese projects are experiencing plummeting revenue. After the bustling April 30th holiday period, the market quickly witnessed a sharp divergence, with only a few films maintaining their appeal while the majority were pushed out of the game.
Currently, a number of domestic films have been completely overshadowed by foreign films. "Blood Moon Feast 8" only has a few screenings per day, with revenue less than 3 million VND. "Underworld Beauty Salon" earns around 5.6 million VND per day, while its total revenue has only reached 12.6 billion VND – a figure that makes breaking even difficult.
Similarly, "The Snail King" is holding out at the box office with a few million dong in revenue each day. "Hero" by director Vo Thach Thao also failed to make a significant impact. More worrying is the case of the project "A Time We Loved ." After a week of release, the film grossed approximately 1.8 billion dong, with low theater occupancy rates.
This reality shows that Vietnamese cinema is entering a fiercely competitive phase. After a period of consistently producing films grossing hundreds of billions of dong, the market is beginning to show signs of saturation as the number of projects increases rapidly but the quality is inconsistent.
It is projected that around 80 Vietnamese films will be released in theaters in 2026 – a record number. This means the competition will not only be between domestic and foreign films, but also a direct battle among domestic projects themselves. With only about 8,000 screenings per day in theaters, films with weak box office performance will quickly have their screenings cut or be removed from the schedule.
Audiences are now more discerning than before. With increasingly diverse entertainment options, from online platforms to international films, a movie that wants to have a long run in theaters cannot rely solely on media hype or initial curiosity. Content that can keep viewers engaged, a sound release strategy, and the ability to generate discussion after its premiere are the decisive factors in a film's long-term success.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/phim-kinh-di-viet-can-moc-200-ty-dong-post1845751.tpo
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