Many local filmmakers decided to launch their products in Q2/2022, which is believed to be an auspicious time. However, except for ‘Tro tan ruc ro’ (Glorious ashes), an independent work, most movies have not been praised for their quality and their revenues are modest. 

In May, ‘578 – Phat dan cua ke dien’ (578 Magnum), was withdrawn from cinemas after 10 days, earning merely VND3 billion. 

‘Virus cuong loan’ brought in just VND157 million after several days of screening. However, the title ' ‘the worst movie of the year” goes to ‘Huyen su vua Dinh’ (Tales of Emperor Dinh). The historical film hit the screen in late November and was quickly excluded from cinemas because of having no audiences.

Analysts said that its content was unattractive and the quality was just like a home exercise for students at cinematography schools. This movie earned VND42 million (less than $2,000) as of December 5, according to Box Office Vietnam. After paying fees to cinemas,  revenue was VND20 million ($800). 

The figures show the dismal picture of the Vietnamese movie industry.

According to analysts, Vietnamese film producers this year chose diverse topics, from comedies to historical topics, zombies to disasters. However, most of the films were poor in quality and failed to attract  audiences.

Talking to the local media about the failure of his film, the producer of “Huyen su vua Dinh” said that he could anticipate unsatisfactory revenue but he did not think that it lacked audiences because of poor content. He blamed the failure on low production costs and unreasonable screening times.

But the success of movies depends on the audience. ‘Bo Gia’ (Dad, I’m Sorry), which was launched in 2021, is an example. The film made record revenue of VND400 billion (over $18 million).

My Anh