“Con ke ba nghe” (Let Me Tell You, Dad), a newly released Vietnamese family drama featuring actor Kieu Minh Tuan, has quickly claimed the No.1 spot at the national box office, ending the successful run of “Thien duong mau” (Blood Paradise).

Directed by emerging filmmaker Do Quoc Trung and creatively guided by Tran Thanh Huy, the film officially premiered nationwide on January 16, following early preview screenings on January 14 and 15.

According to Box Office Vietnam, as of 8 a.m. on January 19, the film had grossed 33 billion VND (approximately USD 1.3 million). Over the past weekend alone, it earned 23 billion VND from 257,118 tickets sold across 8,610 screenings.

“Con ke ba nghe” follows the emotional journey of a tightrope-walking circus artist and his introverted son as they attempt to reconnect and heal old wounds. Against the shimmering, fragile backdrop of the circus stage, the two slowly open up to one another, rediscovering the strength of family bonds.

The film simultaneously honors the Vietnamese circus profession and reflects on the evolving nature of family in a fast-paced modern world.

Filmmaker Trinh Dinh Le Minh praised the film’s daring depiction of circus life, calling it a visually rich and emotionally resonant work that weaves artistic intentions seamlessly into its narrative.

Meanwhile, “Thien duong mau”, which previously held the top box office spot, dropped to second place over the weekend with only 7.3 billion VND in earnings. Despite the decline, it has amassed a total of 118.5 billion VND after 17 days in theaters.

James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar 3” followed in third with 5 billion VND over the weekend and a cumulative gross of 280 billion VND in Vietnam.

The R-rated horror film “28 Years Later: Temple of the Damned”, which has seen strong performance in North America, generated only 2.6 billion VND locally, reflecting Vietnamese audiences’ lukewarm response to the genre.

Animated sequel “Zootopia: Wild Chase 2” maintained a strong presence in fourth place, earning 1.8 billion VND over the weekend and pushing its local total to over 232 billion VND.

Thu Trang’s romantic comedy “Ai thuong ai men” (The Ultimate of Love) slipped to eighth place, with total earnings still under 28 billion VND.

My Anh