A big win away from home.
Statistics from Box Office Vietnam on May 29th show that not a single domestic children's film is being screened in theaters. All children's films currently being released or soon to be released are foreign films.
Notably, "Doraemon: Nobita and the Earth Symphony" - the 43rd film in the Doraemon series - is currently topping the box office charts with over 77 billion VND in revenue.
In less than 6 days since its release in Vietnam, the film 'Doraemon: Nobita and the Earth Symphony' has grossed over 77 billion VND.
The 43rd installment is directed by Imai Kazuaki, who directed the previous two films, "Nobita and the Island of Hidden Treasure" and "Nobita and the New Dinosaur Friends." Released in Japan on March 1st and in Vietnam on May 24th, it is the first film in the "Nobita" franchise to focus on music .
To prepare for the school concert, Nobita has to practice playing the flute, even though he's not good at it. His school friends, including Jaian and Suneo, constantly tease Nobita.
However, a peculiar girl named Micca was captivated by that strange sound. Micca invited Nobita, Doraemon, and their close friends to Farre Palace on a planet that uses energy from music.
With his new gadget, Doraemon and his friends help Micca find a "virtuoso"—a master musician—to save Farre Palace. However, a mysterious and terrifying force is plotting to wipe music out of the world .
Coming in second at the Vietnamese box office is the film "Fat Cat Carrying Ten Lives," earning over 15 billion VND. Third place remains with the Japanese film "Haikyuu: The Scrapyard Battle," which premiered on May 17th, with nearly 11 billion VND in revenue. This film's weekend alone grossed over 1.4 billion VND with 808 screenings. Notably, the blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda 4," released on March 8th, had already grossed over 136 billion VND.
Beyond just box office revenue, a series of foreign children's films are still "lining up" for release dates, while no domestic films are making the cut. Announcements from theaters indicate that the Japanese film "Totto-chan: The Little Girl by the Window" will premiere on May 31st, and is predicted to "take over" the box office on International Children's Day, June 1st.
In addition, the most popular Hollywood animated franchise in Vietnam will return with the new installment, "Despicable Me 4," scheduled for release on July 5th. "Piggy: The Great Uproar in the New World" from Taiwan will also be featured this summer, alongside a host of other blockbuster films.
Summer should be a bumper season for domestic children's films. However, Vietnamese films have long been losing ground in their own market, with very few Vietnamese films appearing in box office rankings or on charts.
According to incomplete statistics, animated films account for approximately 12-15% of total box office revenue. However, in the top 10 highest-grossing films in Vietnamese cinemas in 2023, besides domestic adult films, animated films were not included in the list.
Foreign films, such as "Elemental" (97 billion VND, the highest-grossing film in Vietnam), "Conan: The Black Iron Submarine" (96 billion VND, the highest-grossing anime film ever in Vietnam), "Doraemon: Nobita and the Ideal Land" (84 billion VND, the highest-grossing film in the animated series about the intelligent robot cat)...
The Vietnamese animated film 'Wolfoo' was screened at the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival in April 2024.
In 2023, the popular "made in Vietnam" film "Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island" was released in theaters nationwide. Despite its international fame, the film only achieved modest domestic revenue, reaching 5 billion VND.
Vietnamese films are waiting to "gather small breezes to create a storm."
While foreign children's films continue to dominate Vietnamese cinemas, the question is how can domestic films gain a foothold, attract viewers, and generate revenue? This question has been raised by filmmakers for a long time, but even "filling the gap" has yet to be achieved.
This question was reiterated in the "Future of Vietnamese Animation" conversation at Cinema House when animation producers questioned: Vietnamese animation is developing both in terms of human resources and technology, but why can't it produce a single feature film for theaters?
According to director Le Huy Anh, Vietnamese animation currently has a strong workforce with many young people who have participated in international animation projects, possessing world-class technical skills through collaboration with foreign countries. There are films that, if judged solely on technical aspects, audiences cannot distinguish whether they are Vietnamese or international.
However, the problem here lies in mindset and budget. Vietnamese animation producers still hold the view that animation is only for children, while the world produces films for adults as well. Regarding budget, a 10-minute animation can cost hundreds of millions of dong.
The film 'Kung Fu Panda 4' grossed over 136 billion VND in Vietnam for its producers.
To apply the most advanced technology, billions of dong must be invested. At a minimum, it costs around 100-200 million dong to complete a 5-7 minute 3D animated film. Therefore, even knowing there's still a huge gap in the market, no one is willing to risk billions of dong on such a risky venture.
However, director Trinh Lam Tung confidently believes that producers should be optimistic, as "Wolfoo," produced by young Vietnamese people and released by Sconnect since 2018, is currently being broadcast on social media platforms and television in many countries.
Recently, Sconnect reported 4.25 billion monthly visits across YouTube and Facebook, with 185 million subscribers and followers, over 400 YouTube Gold and Silver Play Buttons, and 3 Diamond Play Buttons for "Wolfoo".
As a professional in the field, and recognizing the insurmountable obstacles, director Trinh Lam Tung hopes that the Vietnamese animation industry will be viewed more objectively and comprehensively.
This is a developing industry with a global trend, but it's not something that can be achieved overnight; it requires time to implement, to fail, and to grow.
“Vietnamese animation brands are gradually establishing themselves, but to achieve a breakthrough in the future, we need to ‘gather small contributions to create a big impact,’ with many generations and individuals connecting and sharing. The animation and children's film market is indeed a ‘gold mine,’ but when we lack the resources, talent, technical skills, and technology… it’s easy to understand why foreign films dominate the box office,” said director Trinh Lam Tung.
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