Diverse and colorful
"In my opinion, in the last six months of this year, Vietnamese films will still dominate foreign films, and there will be a few interesting films released during holidays. In particular, the next six months will see greater diversity in genre, scale, and directorial expertise," shared producer Tuong Vi (V Pictures).
The above assessment is considered well-founded, based on the announced release schedule. First, there's "Red Rain," inspired by the 81 days and nights of heroic and tenacious fighting by our army and people to defend the Quang Tri citadel in 1972. Next is "Battle in the Air," the first film in Vietnam to explore the theme of air hijacking, which is also receiving much anticipation, especially with the participation of a star-studded cast: Thai Hoa, Kaity Nguyen, Thanh Son, Xuan Phuc, Vo Dien Gia Huy, Tran Ngoc Vang, Ma Ran Do…
The second half of 2025 also saw a strong comeback of co-produced films with three works in collaboration with South Korea: "Abandoning My Mother," "The Last Wish," and "Relocating the Grave." In addition, there was "Ghost Bride," a film co-produced with Thailand.
These films are noteworthy because they are associated with many famous names. For example, "Bring My Mother Away" not only brings together actors from South Korea and Vietnam, but the project is also directed by Mo Hong-jin, who previously gained attention with "The Last Wish of a Prisoner 2037". Meanwhile, "The Last Wish" marks the first time Contents Panda - the company behind blockbusters like "Train To Busan", "Peninsula", "Handsome Guys"... - has co-produced a Vietnamese film.
With "Reburial," the film draws inspiration from the reburial ritual – a long-standing Vietnamese belief. "Ghost Bride," on the other hand, explores unique spiritual elements of Vietnam and Thailand, with settings spanning from Ho Chi Minh City to Chiang Mai.
Towards the sustainability of the film industry.
Looking at the films that have been released and those scheduled for release, the Vietnamese film market currently faces two prominent issues. Firstly, although the number of films exceeding 100 billion VND in revenue has reached a record high, the issue of quality remains a major question mark. Quality fluctuates, and weaknesses in scripts continue to be a subject of debate. The biggest challenge now is how to stabilize the quality of Vietnamese films, avoiding the instability and the situation where box office success is merely due to luck.
Secondly, the dominance of horror films is also a thought-provoking topic. It's evident that most horror films currently have relatively low production costs but easily achieve high box office revenue, readily attracting young audiences. This is the main reason why this genre will continue to dominate in the second half of 2025 with many upcoming releases: Haunted House, Grave Robbery, Making Money with Ghosts 2, The Ghost Bride, Five-Toed Pig, The Devil Prince…
On the positive side, the success of many horror films has stimulated creativity among filmmakers, leading to improvements in special effects and audiovisual techniques. Many filmmakers have strived to explore different stories and aspects, ranging from folklore to novel ideas.
However, conversely, the dominance of the horror genre could overshadow other genres such as comedy, social drama, romance, action, science fiction, and historical films, or give them fewer opportunities for investment and production, leading to a lack of diversity in film genres. In particular, there is a risk of the horror film genre becoming "saturated" and its quality declining, easily eroding audience trust.
"Film quality remains the deciding factor. After all, audiences will happily spend money and give a film a long lifespan if it satisfies them. Of course, filmmakers also need to pay attention to audience viewing trends, explore novel themes, and especially need to know how to innovate storytelling styles to attract viewers," producer Tuong Vi said.
Another aspect worth considering is the need to strengthen communication and promotion efforts. In today's information-saturated age, even high-quality films struggle to reach a large audience if this aspect isn't handled well. However, the market also exhibits the opposite trend, with many production companies prioritizing promotion over storytelling. Without balancing these two elements, Vietnamese films can easily fall into the trap of a "great beginning, weak ending," with many unpredictable consequences.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/phim-viet-cuoi-nam-2025-co-hoi-but-pha-post801300.html
Comment (0)